With the latest Braves earnings reported by the owning group, Liberty Media, Atlanta has no excuse not to give the sack to Dansby Swanson.
It’s a crucial offseason for the Atlanta Braves after their run to defend the World Series crown was bitterly cut short by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. But the most important question for everyone is what the team will do with shortstop Dansby Swanson, who is about to become a free agent.
There was never any talk of general manager Alex Anthopoulos and the front office making an effort to re-hire one of the clubhouse’s key figures and leaders, but as Swanson enters the lucrative free agency market, concern was that it was too expensive for the team.
However, that shouldn’t be a problem given the latest earnings reports from Liberty Media, which owns a majority stake in the franchise. According to that report, the Braves brought in $238 million in baseball revenue in the third quarter alone, after earning $247 million in the second quarter.
The Braves have no excuse not to pay Dansby Swanson what he’s worth.
Don’t get me wrong, the Braves’ ability to spend isn’t 100% directly tied to the baseball revenue that Liberty Media earned in 2022. But at the same time, this is a team that has often operated with a budget and it’s clear the ownership group has done well and can afford to spend, especially for a team ready to fight for the World Series for years and years to come.
Swanson shouldn’t be the most expensive free agent on the market, with Trea Turner, Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts all demanding a hefty price tag. Nonetheless, the veteran, former team first-round pick, will be expensive because Atlanta failed to sign him to a contract extension.
They have the money and the position with their recent success (and supposed future success) to spend and give Swanson what he deserves so as not to undervalue him.
That’s not to say Atlanta is completely out of options if they can’t re-sign Swanson this season. Not only could they potentially revamp their current roster and do something like move young Vaughn Grissom to shortstop with Ozzie Albies reprising his role at second base, but they could even explore other options in free agency, like Turner, or any of the other marquee players. Because, again, they have the money.
But Braves fans would no doubt want to keep one of the team’s leaders in Swanson to keep this good thing going. And maybe Swanson is leaving his hometown team because he wants a change. However, the reason he’s not returning to Atlanta shouldn’t be because the organization doesn’t want to let go of the bag.
Next : MLB Power Rankings: Top 10 trade candidates for this offseason
