Dansby Swanson entered the MLB offseason as one of the top free-agent shortstops available, and with Xander Bogaerts reportedly leaving the Red Sox for the San Diego Padres, the 2022 Gold Glove winner is thought to be a potential replacement in Boston.
And for Red Sox fans hoping that will be the case, well, there was some positive insight revealed Thursday relating to Swanson and his former team, the Atlanta Braves.
According to Mark Bowman, MLB.com's Braves beat writer of more than two decades, Swanson and the organization have not had "any legit negotiations" since the offseason began. The Braves last offered Swanson a six-year deal with an average annual value in the neighborhood of $16 or $17 million, per Bowman. Bowman also speculated that Swanson, given the recent deals for Trea Turner and Bogaerts, now could fetch somewhere around $22 to $25 million AAV on a six- or seven-year pact. Bogaerts, after all, will earn $280 million over the next 11 seasons.
Bowman reported Wednesday, prior to the Bogaerts' deal, how the Red Sox had shown interested for Swanson, though that hasn't been confirmed elsewhere.
Of course, this isn't to say Swanson and the Red Sox are thus aligned to make an agreement. Perhaps the Red Sox opt to internally fill Bogaerts' void with someone like Trevor Story as opposed to throw money at a free-agent shortstop? Or perhaps they instead are interested in landing someone else on the open market like Carlos Correa or a less-costly veteran? They have internal and external options.
Nevertheless, it's fair to note one of the best external options is the 28-year-old Swanson, who is an elite defensive shortstop and coming off one of his best offensive campaigns. And it seems like a potential landing spot for the MLB All-Star remains up in the air.
