MLB insider is shocked that Atlanta allowed Dansby Swanson to get to free agency after extending several players: "I don't know why he's the one"
Dansby Swanson's market is beginning to take shape. After Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Correa all signed mega deals, any team needing a shortstop has no real option aside from Swanson. That includes the Atlanta Braves, the team he has been with his entire career.
Atlanta is always so quick to tie up their talent long term. They signed Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies to long contracts a few years ago. They traded for and immediately extended Matt Olson.
They signed Austin Riley to a decade-long deal. They inked Rookie of the Year winner Michael Harris to an eight-year deal. For Swanson, not only have they not done the same, it doesn't look like he's even going to return.
MLB insider Steve Phillips can't understand why the Braves chose to ignore him. They've always signed their own talent, but not the shortstop.
"He seems like the quintessential Brave."
@StevePhillipsGM wonders if the @Braves can still get a deal done with Dansby Swanson.
#Braves | #ForTheA | #DansbySwanson https://t.co/mSd7i04VpP
Phillips said:
"He seems like the quintessential Atlanta Brave... Personally, I would have signed him and brought him back and I don't know exactly why he's the one they chose not to do it with. Maybe because he wasn't willing to take the lower deals... but you would've thought along the way there might have been some deal with him."
Since the Braves elected not to offer him a good enough extension, they now have to compete with several other teams for his services.
An extension would have been much cheaper than what he will now get on the open market, and the Braves may well be without a starting shortstop.
Is Dansby Swanson going to return to the Atlanta Braves?
The Atlanta Braves won over 100 games last year and the World Series the year prior. They have revenue and the money to pay free agents.
However, Phillips' surprise over a lack of a deal is valid and it doesn't bode well for fans who'd like to see him come back.
They always sign their own, so the fact that Dansby Swanson even made it to the free agent market signals that the Braves aren't all that interested in bringing him back.
Now, they have to compete with teams with a lot of money who need shortstops, like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins. It doesn't look good for the Swanson to Atlanta fans.