The Braves have had more success in extending young, core players than any team in recent memory, but for a second straight offseason they’re facing the potential departure of a longtime regular who’s helped to anchor the infield. Dansby Swanson, like Freddie Freeman before him, reached the open market without signing an extension, has rejected a qualifying offer and is now free to field interest from the game’s other 29 teams.
Atlanta reportedly offered Swanson an extension in the neighborhood of $100MM at some point over the course of the season, but the widespread expectation is for him to outpace that guarantee by a comfortable margin. (MLBTR predicted a seven-year, $154MM contract on last week’s Top 50 free agent list.) One of the biggest questions on the minds of Braves fans is just what the team will do at shortstop. Can Swanson be retained? And, if not, where does the team turn? The market offers a trio of high-end alternatives in the form of Trea Turner, Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts.
As Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports, however, it’s unlikely that the Braves will make a legitimate play to sign any of the big free-agent shortstops other than Swanson. President of baseball ops Alex Anthopoulos went out of his way to mention Vaughn Grissom and Orlando Arcia as in-house alternatives at last week’s GM Meetings, and Rosenthal adds that the Braves are generally reluctant to add a major salary that “takes up too high a percentage of their payroll” — including oft-speculated fit Jacob deGrom.
Braves fans were understandably heartened by CEO Terry McGuirk’s comments about Atlanta growing to have one of the game’s five largest payrolls, but what McGuirk didn’t stress was just how close the Braves already are to reaching that territory before making a single addition. Last month at MLBTR, I pointed out that for the Braves to make even one high-priced acquisition, they’d need to exceed the luxury-tax threshold; making a pair of big-name additions — or signing one premier free agent and, say, extending Max Fried — could shatter the threshold and send the team barreling into at least the second tier of luxury penalization.
As things currently stand, Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez projects the Braves to be less than $5MM away from tier one of the luxury tax . They’d be a first-time luxury payor, so the penalty on the first $20MM by which they cross that threshold would “only” be 20%. The penalty on the next $20MM would jump to a 32% tax.
We’ll get back to the shortstop quandary, but it’s worth digressing and taking a deeper look at just what the luxury tax realities might look like for the Braves.
To put this into more specific context, we can use deGrom as an example. Many believe that the four-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young winner could secure an average annual value of $40MM or more this winter. A $40MM AAV on deGrom would push the Braves’ luxury-tax bill up into the $268MM range — an overage of roughly $35MM. The 20% tax on that first $20MM would come out to $4MM, and the 32% tax they’d be paying on the next $15MM would be another $4.8MM. So to sign deGrom for a $40MM AAV, the Braves would effectively need to be willing to pay $48.8MM in total — at least for the upcoming season. With Justin Verlander seeking a deal comparable to that of Max Scherzer, this can all be applied to him as well.
It’s a similar, but not quite so extreme case with Swanson. Using the $22MM AAV on MLBTR’s predicted contract as an example, Swanson would push the Braves a bit more than $17MM over the luxury tax on his own. That’d make our predicted $22MM AAV more akin to paying $25.4MM this season. And, of course, signing Swanson at that rate would mean that any subsequent salary additions of note would then push the Braves into the second tier of penalization, subjecting them to the same 32% rate mentioned in the deGrom example.
The other wrinkle is that any such signing would further cause the team’s luxury bill to balloon in future seasons. The Braves already have about $135MM of luxury obligations on their 2024 payroll, two years down the road, and that doesn’t include potential club option pickups for veterans like Charlie Morton, Kirby Yates and Collin McHugh — nor does it include arbitration salaries for Fried, A.J. Minter and Kyle Wright. Paying the luxury tax for consecutive seasons would cause those rates of penalization also increase (30% in tier one, 42% in tier two, etc.).
Certainly, there are ways for the Braves to lower their current luxury tab and provide further breathing room, though the path to doing so is not an easy one. There’s little hope of finding a team willing to cover even a small portion of the $36MM still owed to Marcell Ozuna through 2024. Atlanta would probably welcome the opportunity to shed the $9MM owed to Eddie Rosario in 2023, but that’s also far easier said than done after he hit .212/.259/.328 in the first season of a two-year, $18MM contract. One recent source of Twitter speculation among fans — a possible trade of Ronald Acuna Jr. — is not something the Braves are considering, per Rosenthal.
Lengthy digression aside, let’s get back to the shortstop question. If, as Rosenthal suggests, the team is likely to be “out of the picture” for any of Correa, Turner or Bogaerts in the event of a Swanson departure, what might that mean for their 2023 outlook at shortstop?
Grissom and Arcia are in-house candidates, as alluded to by Anthopoulos, but Grissom’s bat wilted after a torrid start to his rookie season in 2022. He still finished with a terrific .291/.353/.440 batting line in 156 plate appearances, but Grissom slashed .420/.463/.660 in his first 54 plate appearances and just .220/.294/.319 over his final 102 trips to the plate. He also skipped Triple-A entirely on his way to the Majors, and scouting opinions on his long-term outlook at shortstop vary. Arcia, once one of the game’s top-ranked prospects, was a roughly league-average hitter in a part-time role last year but carries a .233/.288/.356 slash (70 wRC+) over the past five years.
The free-agent market has some modest stopgaps who could help ease Grissom into the full-time role at shortstop. Elvis Andrus was released by the A’s over the summer, but that was more about preventing his 2023 vesting option from kicking in than about his play. He had a strong finish after signing with the White Sox and hit a combined .249/.303/.404 with 17 homers and 18 steals between the two clubs. Jose Iglesias keeps hitting for average and rarely striking out — .291/.325/.408, 13.1% strikeout rate since 2019 — but defensive metrics have soured on the soon-to-be 33-year-old over the past two seasons. Old friend Andrelton Simmons is a free agent, too, but he’s batted just .216/.277/.261 in 536 plate appearances since Opening Day 2021.
None of those free-agent options are going to inspire Braves fans much — save for the possible nostalgia of a Simmons reunion — but they highlight the fact that it’s a thin crop beyond the “Big Four.” The trade market, then, could be a more palatable approach for Anthopoulos to explore. Cleveland’s Amed Rosario is a clear trade candidate with just a year to go before free agency and a mounting (by the Guardians’ standards) price tag. He’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $9MM next year, and a low-payroll Guardians club that’s deep in MLB-ready middle infield prospects could look to cash in on the 27-year-old, as I recently explored at greater length.
The Yankees figure to be open to moving on from Isiah Kiner-Falefa now that Oswald Peraza is ready for a look in the Majors. The Reds would likely be open to dealing Kyle Farmer, with whom Anthopoulos is surely familiar dating back to his Dodgers days. Arizona’s Nick Ahmed and St. Louis’ Paul DeJong are veteran alternatives who could be had for pennies on the dollar, as the D-backs and Cardinals would surely welcome the chance to just shed some of the respective $10MM and $11MM remaining on their contracts. Both are buy-low options, at best, coming off poor showings in recent seasons. Any of Kevin Newman (Pirates), Nicky Lopez (Royals) or the oft-injured Adalberto Mondesi (Royals) could likely be had in a deal, but each has some obvious red flags.
To be clear, there’s no indication that the Braves plan to simply stand pat this winter. A reunion with Swanson remains eminently plausible, even if previous extension attempts with his representatives — the same agents who represent Freeman, for what it’s worth — have yet to bear fruit. It’d push the Braves into luxury territory for the first time in franchise history, but based on McGuirk’s comments about a potential top-five payroll club, that’s something on which the front office will have a green light, at least with regard to Swanson.
What does seems far less likely is a lavish spending spree that sees the Braves make multiple marquee splashes on the free-agent market. If Swanson does sign elsewhere, it’s the bulk of the Braves’ heavy lifting may very well come via the trade market and the middle tiers of the free-agent market.
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
I didn’t think he was that great in Toronto but boy does AA seem on point with the Braves. He knows what he wants and Olson was the best move he could make last year without overpaying Freeman.
MLB Top 100 Commenter
I think that they will extend Fried and maybe even Wright. After that, there will only be money for scraps. Team is well positioned though.
Atlanta and Dodgers could both be interested in trading a top 15 prospect for a one year rental of Ahmed Rosario.
rememberthecoop
So my takeaway Steve is that if the Braves fail to sign Swanson, they will sign Judge, Correa, Verlander and deGrom. Got it.
mj-2
Translation: the Braves aren’t going to spend big on a SS which likely includes Swanson
mj-2
Remember when the Braves owner said he wants the team to be a top 5 payroll?
No idea how they think they’ll reach that goal refusing to spend on a key position that they need like shortstop. Just another offseason of lies from the Braves FO. This org is the most dishonest group out of any team in MLB. Getting tired of them saying one thing and backpedaling when it’s time to act on it.
I’d rather they just be upfront about it. All they have to say is it’s not likely we’ll be able to afford Swanson or other SS. It’s not likely we’ll have much to spend in the offseason. That’s hard to hear and might be upsetting to the fan base for a day or so but in the long run it’s way worse to lie about an intention to spend big then when it’s time come up way short of the grand expectations you set.
BeansforJesus
Top 5 payroll is never an immediate goal. If it was any team could do it once in a while. It’s a goal to reach and maintain.
The Braves show the public their revenue and have been very upfront saying the team needs to support itself. The Top 5 payroll goal hinges on developing a sustained competitor with a solid farm that has the financial clout to support those younger players. There’s never been backtracking. And they have increased payroll as the team has continued success.
ATLBraves21
Atlanta is currently sitting 2nd in payroll only behind the Mets 184 million to 162 million.. That is before off season signings and accounting for arb for players that will be offered it. But look at teams like Angels who spend money every year and get nothing in return. Just spending it doesn’t mean much. I am more worried about money left over for Fried and possibly Wright if he can have another good season than I am about a SS.
Old York
No worries, here are some small name options instead:
Elliot Soto
Richie Martin
Deven Marrero
Elvis Andrus
J.T. Riddle
Franklin Barreto
Jose Peraza
OIC2021
Braves could pull trigger tonight on trade for SS Ahmed Rosario and CF Myles Straw for CF Michael Harris II
Guardians would slide Gimenez to SS
Wagner>Cobb
They won’t trade Harris. He’s part of the core long-term.
SalaryCapMyth
You really think Harris would be traded for a light hitting CF and Rosario? The Braves would fill there needed holes but with worse bats in BOTH positions from what they had last year. If they are going to downgrade than it would be better to just let Arcia play SS and only downgrade in ONE position.
Something to remember is that CF might be the weakest hitting position in baseball so someone like Harris has a lot of value.
Samuel
SalaryCapMyth;
It was a silly proposal…..
Cleveland already has 2 young LH hitting CF’s. Straw’s the only one that hits RH…..and while the process is tainted, he just won the GG.
utah cornelius
But only Yankee fans make bad deal proposals…
bhambrave
How about the Braves send Ozuna, Rosario and Shewmake for Ramirez, and shift Ramirez to SS?
EasternLeagueVeteran
And pay the Guardians about $40M to accept that joke of a deal.
bhambrave
It was a joke, in response to OIC2021‘s ridiculous idea.
BeansforJesus
Straw and Rosario for Harris??????
What?????????????????
Sid Bream Speed Demon
That a ridiculous, uninformed trade idea.
richardc
I seriously question whether some people even think before they spew out some of these asinine trade proposals..
Yes, I am sure AA is thinking let’s trade away our incredibly young, cost-controlled all-star CF’er who has only improved significantly since solely dedicating his time to baseball, who’s capable of scoring 100 runs, driving in 75+ runs, stealing 20+ bags, hitting 25+ HRs, hitting 60+XBH, who came in and locked down the CF spot while playing top notch defense making incredibly hard plays look effortless, especially all after only just sniffing a cup of coffee past A-ball..
Let’s trade THAT GUY for a strong defensive CF’er who struggles offensively, and a 1 year rental at SS??
longines64
Didi Gregorius ?
Rsox
Jose Iglesias or Elvis Andrus to push Grissom and Arcia wouldn’t be the worst thing for Atlanta
ray1
If the Cubs sign one of the Big 4 shortstops, have to believe that it will be Swanson because of the lower cost.
BravesNomad
Which in turn would make Hoerner available as a trade candidate.
YourDreamGM
Or Hoerner can play another position like 2b.
ChrisEnvy76
@BravesNomad Hoerner isn’t getting traded, he is being moved to 2b. Why on Earth would they trade Hoerner? Everything written has said he will be moved to 2b… Hoyer has stated they spoke with him about moving and that Hoerner is all about whatever makes the team better.
flamingbagofpoop
Because Hoerner is less valuable as a 2b than he is as a SS.
RunDMC
A good GM would take advantage of Hoerner having a year to showcase his SS defense (and average offense), benefitting from it and not burying it at 2B, where you’re not getting the full benefit of it. That being said, it would take a nice deal including at least a top prospect or two to be all ears. Hoerner’s calling card is his defense, and while his offense plays, it’s sufficient, and you could easily replace it.
CHC needs to take advantage of the lack of SS options and cash in on Hoerner, unless they really believe his bat is ascending.
ChrisEnvy76
All of you guys talking about The Cubs trading Hoerner and/or keeping him at SS… Hoerner will be an elite 2b and his bat to ball skills are outstanding. He is a very good all around player. His move to 2B is not a negative at all. Unless you have watched the Cubs all year and have been keeping up on The Cubs the whole year, you might have missed the conversation. Moving Hoerner to 2B is what is going to happen and he is going to shine there.
outinleftfield
I was under the impression that Hoerner already said he would be willing to move to 2B full time if the Cubs signed one of the big shortstops available in FA. Was I wrong about that?
ChrisEnvy76
You are right about that. These folks have no idea what they are talking about.
RunDMC
I was talking about benefitting from a trade of Hoerner, that’s proved himself at a key def position at SS, and benefitting the SS free agent market, rather than sending him to 2B, that’s easier to find a good glove, and more of an expectation of a good bat. Hoerner’s 106 & 107 OPS+, respectively, over the last 2 seasons is just above average. If CHC is looking to upgrade some offense, possibly sacrificing some defense in the process, that’s how you do it. Not saying they need to, but if someone else comes calling offering a nice package of trade prospects, b/c they’re not interested in a $150-250M SS, why wouldn’t you entertain that?
ChrisEnvy76
No, its been everywhere that they are in on Correa and Turner first and foremost.
Tim Dierkes
Not really
ChrisEnvy76
That is what I have seen. They aren’t going after Swanson.
ChrisEnvy76
You can talk to Jon Morosi about it though.
Tim Dierkes
All I see is this, means basically nothing
twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/1591472371545919493
ChrisEnvy76
Sure, how about this?
twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1592598810991083520
ChrisEnvy76
Are you saying you never saw this?
SalaryCapMyth
I did find a quite a few articles that mention the Cubs and Correa but everything talks about them all pretty nebulously.
Tim Dierkes
Correct, because none of the most credible reporters have reported anything concrete about it, except maybe the Athletic’s Cubs guys saying they wouldn’t go 8+ years on someone.
ChrisEnvy76
So, now besides Morosi saying Correa and Turner are the Cubs top targets for SS, Wittenmyer and Sharma say Cubs land Correa. Sharma also saying no SS will get 8+ years at all.
ChrisEnvy76
And the fact that you are talking about credible reporters not reporting anything concrete? Is that a joke? It’s all speculation until it actually happens. But there are plenty of people reporting the Cubs are in on Correa and predicting they will land him. What a silly argument.
flamingbagofpoop
Big *insert number* has been so over used that it’s meaningless at this point. I really don’t consider Swanson on the same level as Trea or Correa, either.
outinleftfield
Probably because of the shorter contract length. Swanson might get 6/140. Turner and Correa are asking for Seager length and dollars. If they sign Swanson, Hoerner moves to 2B.
southi
Would not be surprised if either Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Kyle Farmer ended up being the braves 2023 opening shortstop (but we can hope otherwise)!
Pete'sView
As a Giants fan, I marvel at the talent the Braves are producing in their farm system. Vaughn Grissom seems like another.
Any Atlanta fans out there who can give me info on Grissom? What’s his glove like? Arm? Speed?
samthebravesfan
He’s really bad with the glove at second base. One of the worst in the sport, so he would be an awful shortstop. He had a hot start with the bat, but cooled off a little. Frankly, it’s unknown what he’ll do. And as far as I know, he’s not that fast.
Pete'sView
Thanks!
DTD/ATL1313
Grissom was fine at 2nd base with the glove but SS in the minors was just plain bad.
Braves83
The people I know who follow the games in the minor leagues and follow the Braves minor league as a focus—none of them seem sold on Grissom as a long term SS. His defense is bad—his range is not great. His arm is average and he doesn’t seem to have to the quick trigger type response you want in your SS. Dans arm is 49th of the top 50 SS but his range and footwork saves him. Dans makes great baseball IQ plays in real time and always seems to know where best to go with the ball. Grissom seems destined for left or maybe 2nd and let Ozzie cover SS (even with his elbow issue). Grissom is not fast. I think he is comparable to Austin Riley for speed.
inkstainedscribe
Albies came up as a SS and has the arm strength and range (if his elbow is ok). Maybe that ship hasn’t sailed. It’s easier to find a passable 2B than SS.
Smacky
Albies was shifted to second because his arm at SS was all over the place. It still kinda is at 2nd.
Pete'sView
See, that’s why I like this site. I’m not a Braves fan, but I’m an avid fan (specifically Giants but other teams too). I read a lot of baseball, but I didn’t know that about Albies. Thank you.
Smacky
He also had a freak elbow injury where he broke it on a swing. Kinda like how his foot just kinda broke and knocked him out for the 2nd half of the season. Reason he got such a team friendly contract extension. The elbow thing bugged the Braves and then it happened again but in his foot.
Smacky
Future 3B or LF.
YourDreamGM
Looking like Grissom. Swanson is closer to a 200 guy than 100.
DTD/ATL1313
Grissom isn’t capable of playing SS in the majors.
YourDreamGM
Not going to argue against that. I heard they were never in on the big 4 and ready to go with a veteran and Grissom.
DTD/ATL1313
Whoever you heard that from is clueless because AA never releases any info, especially info like that.
RunDMC
I would expect a trade, if they don’t bring back Swanson, though I wouldn’t think they would go any higher than the 100M they were rejected by, certainly not anywhere near the 140-150M that gets bandied about.
Amed Rosario would be the most likely candidate, though Willy Adames could be a dark-horse candidate. Maybe not so if MIL sheds salary via Kolten Wong trade, etc.
Samuel
Payroll Management has always been a good skill to have being a successful Baseball Ops head. Now it’s mandatory.
The fans just want their teams payroll to get higher – sign some juicy names that are coming off of good seasons – like that guarantees winning.
But we’re now seeing the corner the White Sox and Jays – among others – put themselves into with multi-year contracts that aren’t working out…..and with no major inexpensive help coming up from their farm systems are forcing them into making trades to cut the payroll down.
The Braves are a well managed operation. I’ve always doubted they’d resign Dansby and would instead look for an inexpensive veteran alternative or just promote a SS from with.
DonOsbourne
Que the outrage……
Bobcastelliniscat
Braves may have some interest in Kyle Farmer. He is a solid, but not great SS but cheap expected to earn $5.9 million this year. The Reds probably won’t pay that much, but the Braves might. Farmer is also from Georgia FWIW.
The Kaiser
Braves hoping to pay pennies on the dollar like all there other player’s they have signed isn’t going to happen with Swanson.
Samuel
The Kaiser;
No.
Braves pay their players well, and give them what they’re worth to the Braves as they fit in with their payroll. Their objective is to field a winning team, not a bunch of “stars”.
ohyeadam
Excellent (Mr. Burns style)
fathead0507
AA works in silence.. he will have a backup plan that’s not Grissom or Arcia
Samuel
fathead0507;
I know they can continue to win with Kevin Newman at SS. But I’m surprised that the Royals are making Nicky Lopez available. The year he had in 2021 was indicative of what he can do – both offensively and defensively.
Both Newman and Lozez have been mishandled by their teams, and will thrive with the Braves coaching staff and manager.
I hope AA has them on his radar. Win-Win for both the players and the Braves.
SpaceFrog
Braves Need To Package Acuna, Ozuna, and Kyle Muller For Springer and Bichette, Toronto Can Pay Ozuna and get that team friendly deal for Acuna, It Makes Sense
kanye
Please never comment again
utah cornelius
But only Yankee fans make ridiculous trade proposals. Take a look at this thread. Reconsider. Few bad deal proposals actua;ly come from Yankee fans because mostly they don’t make ANY proposals at all. The difference is that when they do make one, everybody jumps on it. That’s often not true when someone else does it. Keep your eye on it and be honest. You’ll see.
bhambrave
Someone has a chip on his shoulder.
Appalachian_Outlaw
That makes no sense. You don’t trade a young core piece locked up on a very team friendly deal. You just don’t.
Assuming they don’t resign Dansby, the easy and correct solution would be to play Arcia at SS. The Braves have some young pitching that they could surely attach to Rosario to move him with ease. You take the money you save on Dansby and Rosario then and sign a quality LF because it’s always cheaper to sign COF if your expectations aren’t Judge. Cut Ozuna. Lock up Fried. Boom. Done.
Smacky
I never thought Toronto fans would be more insane than Yankee fans when it comes to trades. Bichette makes absolutely no sense for the Braves. Why would they trade for a SS who’s one of the worst defenders in baseball.
You watched the playoffs and saw how Philly’s defense bit them in the ass at multiple very inopportune times?
JAMES JACOBSEN
And besides Toronto would probably need to throw in Vlady.
SpaceFrog
Then Trade Rosario, Freddy Tarnok and Vaughn Grissom For Bryan Reynolds
DTD/ATL1313
You should maybe sit out on the trade ideas.
bravesnation nc
Braves Country keep showing up to Truist and selling the place out. Braves brass, pay the penalty and keep the position players together. AA figure it out man the window is now not 2027.
Samuel
bravesnation nc;
Usually I agree with you.
But in this case, I think AA has all intentions of the Braves being a contender up to and through 2027.
notagain27
One or more of these high profile SS will wind up settling on a Correa/Twins deal of 2022
TradeAcuna
I mean you can always just sign Swanson and not worry about external options.
SpaceFrog
That Leaves Atlanta 12.5 Million To Address Whatever Else
In nurse follars
Not convinced he is an impact player worthy of an impact contract.
DTD/ATL1313
Then you have regularly watched him play
DTD/ATL1313
Haven’t
outinleftfield
I think you had it right the first time.
DTD/ATL1313
You can be wrong if you want.
outinleftfield
Or I can be right if I want. Swanson had one season where he was an impact player out of 7. That was at age 29. His career year. He is a good shortstop. Just not a great one. Impact players are great ones year in and year out..
DTD/ATL1313
No, impact players are impact players. He makes an impact in many ways. He’s a clutch hitter, is awesome on defense, a very good base runner, and is a leader on and off the field. You are considering great and impact to be the seam thing when they’re not.
outinleftfield
Swanson was good in one season in his career. In the 6 other seasons he never made an impact. In fact, he was below league average for those 6 seasons. Mark Bradley of the AJC talked at length about his inconsistency of work ethic. That doesn’t point to him being a team leader. Swanson is not an impact player. What Swanson is, is a good player coming off a career year. His WAR for 2022 was 5.7, his total WAR for his previous six seasons was 8.8. Swanson will get paid Story money off of the hope that he can repeat that ONE very good season and some team is going to regret it almost immediately. Again, not an impact player.
DTD/ATL1313
Inconsistency in work ethic? That’s absolutely garbage as that has never once came from anyone from the Braves. In fact, the opposite has been said. Again, you know nothing if you think he’s not an impact player because you can’t refute anything I’ve already mentioned.
richardc
Yeah, I’ve ONLY ever heard of the exact opposite. That Swanson is a team leader, he leads by example, and he’s done so since he was brought up.
He’s also played through injuries time and time again, which truthfully has probably hurt him more than it has helped, but that just goes to show his character and his mindset towards wanting to be on the field for his teammates.
He’s also had three previous seasons marred with wrist injuries, which have sapped his power, and have made a negative impact on his stats those years.
Back to the work ethic thing, that’s just beyond bogus. He’s worked with Ron Washington each AND EVERY offseason and spring training, that Wash has been here, to help improve his defense at SS.
I’m not saying Swanson can repeat his success from this season each and every year, but moving forward, I’d expect more of this Swanson than years previous, as long as he stays healthy.
@outinleftfield – Put some respect on Dansby’s name, the dude came up with unrealistic expectations, and all he has done is worked his tail off to become one of the best SS in the game of baseball.
laswagn
I think he ends up with the Dodgers if not the Braves.
bhambrave
If the Braves don’t re-sign Swanson, I like the idea of going after someone like Rosario. He’s a fast ground-baller, and when the shift goes away he should produce even more. I don’t know what it would take, prospect-wise. Send Vaughn down to learn the outfield.
RunDMC
I don’t think Grissom’s bat plays well enough to be a COF option. I’d use him as trade bait and/or a utility option, which would be useful, especially if you don’t have someone like Dansby playing almost every game.
I’m interested in seeing COF Justyn Henry-Malloy, who ended the year at AAA and is doing really well in AFL. He’s carried a high-.800 OPS throughout every MiLB stop and looks promising despite only being ranked as #11 in the system (per MLBPipeline). Remember, Strider is an example of prospect rankings should not be taken too seriously.
NashvilleJeff
Spot on w/all of that DMC.
Benjamin101677
Atlanta is usually so quiet with plans than a player pops up unexpected. I would be very surprised if anyone knew the Braves plans going forward. I don’t think Grissom will be opening day shortstop. With shifts not allowed we will be back to a game where elite defense and range matters and Grissom doesn’t have either
richardc
Well, as of now, the only news that has leaked is that Grissom is currently working with Ron Washington on his SS defense…
Sooo, idk..I guess we will see though, typically their front office never leaks anything, so it was interesting that news happened to leak out recently.
Jesse Chavez enthusiast
Doesn’t really surprise me, Bogaerts is my favorite but AA doesn’t give long contracts to FAs
bravesnation nc
Samuel, I want the Bravos competitive in 2027 as well. But Ozuna and Morton and others will be gone. Spend the money people. TV Deal coming soon too. Spend the money
yetipro
Dansby can go elsewhere & get a bigger deal, that is his choice to increase his costs exponentially (taxes, real estate, COL) & be far away from any family or people he has ever known. Also his brands that are ATL-based will go away. He is a grown man & we all know with the amount of bible thumping he does that he will “pray on it”. Bless him. But not worth $150+ million.
DTD/ATL1313
Why be a jerk and bring up his faith and then diminish it? You live a sad life.
Mike Mangan
Pay Dansby and the Luxury Tax which is deductible,Lets not have another Freddie Freeman a debacle. Sadly with a team with over 3 million in attendance, it should be able to move some money around to keep Fans in The Seats. Has Liberty Media given the team any encouragement?ATLANTA is a Top 10 market and should be able to adjust..It takes Deep Pockets to be competitive!
JAMES JACOBSEN
@Mike Mangan “Lets not have another Freddie Freeman debacle” Its all up to Dansby, Just like it was up to Freddie. Atlanta will be in the ballpark but not the most. If he thinks Atlanta will be the highest bidder, He is dreaming.
eyeball710
If Dansby ends up commanding the same as any of the other 3 (Turner, Correa or Boegarts), I’d sign either of them over Swanson. Even if those 3 demand slightly more, and you’re willing to push into luxury tax territory either way, I’m signing one of those 3 over Swanson. Swanson is too streaky at the plate. While he’s better defensively than all of the other 3, it’s not by a huge margin.
Samuel
I was on here for years when Braves fans were dumping on Dansby. His D was sort of OK, but he wasn’t hitting. I kept saying that SS is a defensive position and he was solid defensively.
Now he’s started hitting and wants a large long-term contract. I still like him, but not at the prices is agents are asking.
The Braves have won with him not hitting. They can continue to win with a solid defensive SS that hits .240-.250 / .290 -.310. (BA / OBP).
RunDMC
Even when Swanson is hitting – he only accumulates a 115 OPS+ (100 OPS+ is average). Why? Career-high strikeouts, almost career-low walks, though career-high in HR.
I can appreciate his defense, but the money he’s asking for is not for a defensive-first SS, it’s a consistent offensive threat, which he’s never been. I’d pay Correa that money a lot sooner than Dansby.
outinleftfield
When. When Swanson signs elsewhere.
justme1
It’s going to be Shewmake at short for the Braves . They just protected him from the rule five draft. He’s got the glove to play short and his bat is ok . Just doesn’t have any power.
GarryHarris
Considering that Vaughn Grissom started the season in A and was elevated rapidly. It’s hard not to think SS is Grissom’s to lose.
Smacky
Welp, looks like AA & the Braves have more faith in Grissom than I was led to believe. They’ve put his ass into the Ron Washington School Of Infield Defense.
Very well could be shenanigans to tell Dansby he’s not going to be able to extort the Braves.
“Ron Washington, the Braves third-base coach and venerable infield guru, is back home in New Orleans, keeping up with baseball news and hoping the team re-signs shortstop Dansby Swanson. But he’s also doing something else — intensive one-on-one work with Vaughn Grissom, prepping the youngster to take over for Swanson if needed.“
theathletic.com/3905871/2022/11/16/braves-have-ron…
Sid Bream Speed Demon
No need to give to anything for the likes of Kevin Newman or Nicky Lopez, nor bother signing Simmons or any of the scrubs. Play Arcia, mix in Grissom as needed, all will be well.
Or I guess you could trade Grissom and Muller for Willy Adames, but his D has been all over the place the last several seasons.
BenBenBen
The word “too” does not need a comma before it, per CMOS 6.52. Wish Adams, other MLBTR writers, and their editors could be bothered to consult the most respected style guide in American English. Until then, I’ll keep commenting about this.
bhambrave
Fewer people are bothered by an extra comma than they are by the punctuation police.
BenBenBen
No one cares about what you think and no one loves you.
bhambrave
You’re a sad strange little man, and you have my pity.
BenBenBen
I can’t be bothered with the opinion of someone whose opinion means nothing to anyone. But it is hilarious that you get up on your high horse and are all self-righteous when the only thing you can do is sling ad hominem by calling me “sad,” “strange,” and “little” over a comma. Sounds like you’re the one who’s bothered by it. What a joke.
FredMcGriff for the HOF
This should put to bed any deGrom or Verlander rumors to the Braves which I never believed one bit anyways.
Cohn Joppolella
Trade for Rosario, shouldn’t cost too much to obtain him.
cmy59
The Braves COULD move Albies to SS, then either have Grissom/Arcia at 2B or find a FA for 2B or trade for a 2B. Ozzie was an excellent SS in the minors…
NashvilleJeff
Albies never played a game at SS after he broke his elbow 6 years ago and he never will again. Braves have to play his weak arm at 2B to protect it from another injury. Great range, barely enough arm for 2B.