Cubs leader Dansby Swanson wants Bellinger back |
Last year’s offseason was pegged as the greatest free agent shortstop class of all time, taking over the title of 2021’s offseason just a year prior. A year after Corey Seager, Trevor Story, Javier Baez, and Carlos Correa were signed to massive contracts — Correa opted out of his contract and joined Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, and Dansby Swanson in a tremendously talented class of free agent shortstops.
The Cubs, last season, were coming off of a 74-88 season but indeed showed some improvements after their midseason sell-off that saw Scott Effross, Mychal Givens, David Robertson, and Chris Martin get dealt at the deadline. A strong 39-31 finish put the Cubs in the driver’s seat to start improving their team. The Cubs saw an excellent emergence from Nico Hoerner at the shortstop position. Hoerner hit .281 with 10 homers and 55 RBI in 135 games. On top of the offense, Hoerner’s excellent defense was on display, and he proved to be a trustworthy option at shortstop heading into the 2023 season. However, the Cubs were still rumored to be very interested in signing one of the four elite free-agent shortstops. Hoerner, of course, had told reporters that as much as he would like to play shortstop — he wants to win, and if a free agent shortstop makes their team better, then that is an excellent move to make. Then manager David Ross said, “We’ve got a really good shortstop here. If something works out where they identify a middle infielder that is of value that they feel fits very well, everybody is on board with that, including myself and Nico.” The Cubs saw Trea Turner fly off the market with an 11-year, 300 million-dollar contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. Xander Bogaerts was next, who left the Red Sox to sign an 11-year, 280 million-dollar contract with the San Diego Padres. Finally, after some medical confusion, Carlos Correa returned to the Twins after opting out of his deal with Minnesota for a six-year, 200 million-dollar contract. That only left Dansby Swanson. The Cubs eventually inked Swanson to a seven-year, 177 million-dollar deal to be the Cubs shortstop of the future. Swanson was the reigning Gold Glove winner for NL at shortstop, and the acquisition moved Hoerner, a top defensive shortstop, to second base — giving the Cubs the best defensive middle infield in the MLB. The result: both Swanson and Hoerner won Gold Gloves in 2023 for their respective positions. Swanson was everything the Cubs wanted in 2023. On top of the Gold Glove, Swanson was an All-Star for the second consecutive season and received MVP votes by the end of the season. The Georgia native grew up rooting for his hometown Braves but often watched Cubs games with his grandfather. He was excited to join Chicago as they shifted gears toward winning. Swanson clubbed 22 home runs, drove in 80, and still put together the highest WAR of the free agent shortstops despite a few offensive struggles. So, the Cubs got the best shortstop of the four in 2023 and paid the least for him. But what makes Swanson such a bargain is his leadership and commitment to winning. Swanson is one of the MLB’s most durable players, as his goal every season is to play all 162. “The important goal is winning,” Swanson said. “That’s the only stat that matters.” Swanson sets that tone by showing up to the ballpark and pleading to be in the lineup daily. However, as Swanson enters year two of his seven-year contract, he shows his commitment to winning in other ways. He is one of the Cubs’ most trusted clubhouse voices, but he also owns an opinion that the Cubs’ brass respects. Despite being a player, not a front office member, Swanson is often in the ear of the President of Baseball Operations, Jed Hoyer, and General Manager Carter Hawkins to discuss improving the team. Swanson said, “They probably get sick of me calling,” regarding how often he communicates with the Cubs’ higher-ups. As for what the rest of the offseason should entail for Chicago, Swanson kept his words brief — to the excitement of Cubs fans at the Cubs convention this weekend—pleading with Hoyer and Co. to bring back his friend, former MVP Cody Bellinger. "Before we get to next year, we have to re-sign Belli.”
