Is Dansby Swanson out of the Braves' price range?
All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson has been a free agent for nearly two weeks now, and with each passing day, a return to the Atlanta Braves is looking less and less likely.
According to David O'Brien of The Athletic, all signs point to Swanson donning another MLB uniform this spring. Appearing on MLB Network Wednesday, O'Brien said that following Swanson's 2022 All-Star campaign, the shortstop has "priced himself out of Atlanta."
"I'm probably less than 50/50 that he's coming back because I think if he was, they would've done it," O'Brien said.
O'Brien initially felt confident about the Braves re-upping Swanson, but once things hit the "Freddie Freeman stage," everything changed. O'Brien argues that the market for shortstops this offseason is more extensive than last year was for Freeman's position. Also, unlike Freeman, Swanson doesn't have to wait for a lockout to end before inking a deal.
"Freddie had to get something done in a hurry, and there were only a couple teams left really looking to fill that position," O'Brien said. "Dansby's got the whole winter, and there's a lot of teams looking for shortstops."
O'Brien believes the Braves won't pay more than $22 million annually to retain Swanson.
Keith Law of The Athletic has Swanson ranked No. 3 among his top 50 free agents list. He predicts Swanson may wait out fellow free agents Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts in search of a similar deal, ultimately landing in the $30 million-plus a year bracket, which is well above the price O'Brien believes they'll pay.
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