The Milwaukee Brewers have been active in the trade market this offseason. All of their big acquisitions have come via trade. Within the National League Central, a few of their division rivals have been engaging in the free agent market. One of those teams is the Chicago Cubs, who just signed star shortstop free Agent Dansby Swanson.
BREAKING: Shortstop Dansby Swanson and the Chicago Cubs are finalizing an agreement on a contract, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 17, 2022
BREAKING: Cubs and Dansby Swanson have an agreement on a seven-year deal for $177 million, per source. https://t.co/9cmtK9mLzL
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) December 17, 2022
Swanson’s deal with the Cubs is for seven years and includes a full no-trade clause. This averages out to an average annual value of $25.3MM per season. The Cubs have already given contracts to Cody Bellinger ($17.5MM), Jameson Taillon ($17MM) and Brad Boxberger ($2.8MM). They are looking to close the gap between them, the Brewers, and Cardinals.
Other shortstop to get paid this offseason include Trae Turner, Xander Bogaerts, and Carlos Correa. Swanson’s deal is the shortest in duration and is on the lower end in terms of AAV. Brewer fans are using these contracts to gauge a potential Willy Adames extension.
How is shortstop Dansby Swanson projected to perform in 2023? Do the Brewers have anyone that can match his production?
According to fangraphs, Brewers shortstop Willy Adames and third baseman Luis Urias are both projected to outperform Swanson offensively. They are all very close in fWAR as well.
Swanson’s 2023 projection: 104 wRC+ and 3.2 fWAR
Willy Adames’ projection: 111 wRC+ and 3.9 fWAR
Luis Urias: 110 wRC+ and 3.0 fWAR
— Jack Stern (@ByJackStern) December 17, 2022
If no contract extension occurs, Willy Adames is projected to make $9.2MM in arbitration. Luis Urias projects to make $4.3MM. Both of these salaries are much lower than Swanson’s.
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