(670 The Score) Star shortstop Dansby Swanson truly loved playing for his hometown Braves, but that only meant so much when it came time to make the biggest decision of his professional career in free agency.
That’s because the Braves’ contract offer didn’t come close to matching the seven-year, $177-million deal that Swanson signed to join the Cubs, a move that became official Wednesday. The gap was so wide that Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos acknowledged the extreme gulf in a candid interview with the Athletic.
While Anthopoulos didn’t confirm or speak to any exact figures, it’s believed the Braves’ offer was for around six years and $100 million, according to reports.
“He got an incredible contract from a great organization, and we weren’t close to it,” Anthopoulos told the Athletic. “That’s what he was worth when he hit the open market. He was an incredible player for us, in the clubhouse and on the field. We’re always trying to manage short term and long term. The better players become, the closer they get to free agency, the harder it is to keep these guys. But I will say this: Dansby made every effort to find a way to stay in Atlanta. We had conversations in the summer. He was willing to take a lot less than what he got. That’s important. But we have to manage in our minds short term and long term, and we have to make sure we have enough payroll to allocate a full 26. He deserves everything he got, but at a certain point, it doesn’t make sense for us. It’s hard because you’re losing a phenomenal human being and a phenomenal player.”
The last time Anthopoulos and Swanson spoke was last Friday, a day before Swanson agreed on his lucrative deal with the Cubs. Neither side directly expressed that they were breaking up, but both knew it was time for the other to move on.
“It wasn’t said explicitly, but it was understood,” Anthopoulos told the Athletic.
Swanson, who will turn 29 in February, is coming off his first All-Star season in 2022 and had played his first seven MLB seasons in Atlanta, where he helped the Braves win the 2021 World Series. Swanson hit .277 with 25 homers, 96 RBIs and a .776 OPS while playing all 162 games for the Braves this past season. His 6.4 WAR in 2022 was the second-most among MLB shortstops, according to FanGraphs, trailing only the Mets’ Francisco Lindor.
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