Dansby Swanson wasn't so sure about the Cubs, and neither was his soccer-playing wife, but the new power couple is now part of Chicago's fabric. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images). CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 21: Dansby Swanson #7 of the Chicago Cubs speaks to the media during his introductory press conference at Wrigley Field on December 21, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Dansby Swanson Trades & Transactions: 06-06-2012: Selected by Colorado Rockies in the 38th round of the free-agent draft. Just in terms of, you were a team that could sell out a Tuesday night game in the middle of May against a last-place team. Justin Dansby and Leonidas Dansby played in the minors. He's an excellent defensive shortstop whose glove work actually improved in 2022. 5. we pay a shitton of money as it is, might as well use it some more. 1 picks. Whether the process of breaking through that 108-year barrier took so much energy that nothing could ever be the same. Given the prior demand of Pollock, a shadow down-ballot MVP candidate, losing Inciarte goes down much more easily for the Diamondbacks. Schilling proved he had some stuff left in the tank as he helped the Red Sox win World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. In shifting gears this winter, Hoyers vision was sharp and consistent. But, you know, we took a step back when we made some of those trades.. Davenport has been extremely productive. He was ranked by MLB.com as the third-best prospect in their system, and is a consensus Top-100 prospect. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Weekend edition! The trade became infamous for Arizona fans, as Shelby Miller (the primary piece headed to the D'Backs) immediately struggled with his new team, while Georgia-born Swanson blossomed with his. Add to the fact that the Diamondbacks are in last place sitting 19 games out of first the $206.5 million commitment to Greinke, the new uniforms (which I actually like) and the aforementioned Miller trade, the 2016 season for Arizona is approaching laughable levels of disappointment. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAtlanta Braves and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Spencer Bingol is a Featured Writer at Beyond the Box Score. But thats a problem for the hypothetical 2023 Cubs. Ricketts dryly noted that part of the pulse of the fan base comes straight to my email box. Hoyer insisted the fans sour mood did not influence the teams spending directly, but admitted the dissatisfaction factored into its thinking. After serving as the primary shortstop for the Chicago Cubs last . He switched to shortstop for his junior season. Though Miller was, at the time, showing himself to be among baseballs better starters, the trade was widely panned as an overpay by the Diamondbacks. That didnt come to pass. I dont think I could tell you why that is. Guerrero played 160 games last season and hit .274 with 32 homers and 97 RBIs for the Blue Jays. Internally, the Cubs leadership still cant believe that the club failed to sign any of the old core to extensions, and continues to wonder if the combustion of the World Series team was unavoidable. Swanson was supposed to be part of the Diamondbacks' turnaround. All MLB; Team All-Time Rosters On Tuesday evening, the Dodgers agreed to a deal with pitcher Shelby Miller, the former All-Star who was the centerpiece of the Dansby Swanson trade between the Atlanta Braves and Arizona . The Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks completed a five-player trade late last night, with the Braves acquiring outfielder Ender Inciarte, right-handed pitcher Aaron Blair and shortstop. Swanson signed a monster deal to head to the Chicago Cubs, thus breaking the hearts of many fans in the Metro. Home; NFL. Bellinger, Hosmer and Barnhart are on one-year deals. Now, he will try to revive his career with the Dodgers, who like the Braves are one of the best at getting the most out of their players. Additionally, his FIP was an impressive 0.40 (despite the small sample size). Winning teams and winning players do a good job of that. When the D-Backs got off to a hot start in 2017, Stewart tried to say it was proof positive he was a good GM. The Diamondbacks won the NL West in 2011, but had two .500 finishes in the following two years and owned baseballs worst record in 2014, granting them the privilege of having the first overall pick in the next draft. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. This draft class also featured Andrew Benintendi, Walker Buehler, and Mike Soroka, among many others. Miller, meanwhile, hit the skids hard. After being traded to the Braves, it was the first step of an amazing journey that God had in store for me. Swanson is cashing in on the first All-Star campaign of his seven-year MLB career, signing a massive deal with the Cubs. In an interview with MLB Network Radio following his firing, Stewart assigned blame elsewhere for the Swanson trade that went sideways. From the owner Tom Ricketts to Hendricks to the least-tenured rookie, the emphasis is back on results, rather than development. Yeah, not really the best return for an ace like Schilling. Odds & lines subject to change. Dansby Swanson could become first #1 overall pick to be traded before MLB debut since Adrian Gonzalez (drafted 2000; traded 2003), He also joins Brady Aiken as the second straight player to not make their full-season debut with the team that drafted them first-overall. As noted byScout Media reporter Taylor Blake Ward, he joins prestigious company with this trade. Buy or Sell: Buy All of this is an easy buy, including Boras' insistence that Conforto's shoulder is healthy. Stewarts rsum with the D-Backs isnt great even if you remove the Swanson trade. And if Miller succeeds? Instead, the team began to struggle and the star players were traded away. Kennedy had a great 2011 season for Arizona (21-4, 2.88 ERA) and had a combined 3.55 ERA over the course of three full seasons before he was traded to the Padres in 2013. Free agents Xander. Speier never made it to the big leagues with the Diamondbacks. Inciarte was a 3.3 WAR player last year. The D-Backs, at the time, were led by general manager Dave Stewart. Great. At 25, Hoerner is one of the few young Cubs to have established himself as a foundation piece, having first come to the majors in 2019 during the last gasps of a dynasty that never quite happened. The Astros, who have continued to churn out star prospects, have used that development pipeline to weather the losses of free agents like George Springer, Carlos Correa and Gerrit Cole a process that continued when Justin Verlander signed with the Mets this winter. He said it is hard to do your job with three people above me. Stewart said his two-year stint as GM was too brief and wanted to come back and see what would happen if we were healthy. He said it wasnt a true opportunity to do the job. Most strikingly, Stwart said, My gut the whole time said I shouldnt move Dansby Swanson.. When the Cubs beat Cleveland in the 2016 World Series, breaking a 108-year drought, it seemed as if a dynasty was forming. The process worked, with both clubs ending up with stacked rosters of star players they had developed. Dansby Swanson trade between the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks back in 2015. a slider accompanied by a four-seam fastball, which quantifies exactly how much closer a pitchers release point is to home plate.. But the sharp declines in attendance and television ratings made it clear that the fan base was not dealing well with the teams extended teardown. 1 overall pick. Dansby Swanson is still adjusting to new colors, but he already notices the difference. However, with the plethora of value sent over in return, it is hard to imagine a scenario where total expected value doesn't favor the Braves. Jon Heyman reported earlier in the week that the Braves declined Swanson's $140 million counteroffer, which Heyman notes is the same deal Trevor Story and Javier Baez received. The third piece in the deal, Aaron Blair, was the Diamondbacks' first-round pick in the 2013 draft. The Braves acquired him from the Cardinals prior to the 2015 season, and he was spectacular despite boasting a 6-17 record on an abysmal Atlanta team. play. New Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson commented on the difference between his current fans and Atlanta Braves supporters. Did we mention he was a member of the San Francisco Giants in 2022 after the Yankees let him go in June? He patched holes that were not filled via trade at first base (Hosmer), shortstop (Swanson), center field (Bellinger), catcher (Barnhart) and designated hitter (Mancini). If I see a pattern from a pitcher, well talk about it, said Taillon, who signed a four-year, $68 million deal in December. And that was only made more touching when accompanied with his written message. Swanson is correct in some sense Falcons and Hawks fans probably dont match up against Cubs fans. Age: 28. Swanson signed with the Cubs in part because his wife, Mallory Pugh, plays for the NWSL Chicago Red Stars. One hundred eight years, everything going on behind that, to go and accomplish that feat as a group together, it took a lot. 1 pick, he hit a homer and a double and led Vanderbilt back to the College World Series. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Staying put in Chicago had benefits beyond dollars for Swanson: In December he married the soccer star Mallory Swanson (formerly Pugh), who plays for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Womens Soccer League. The Diamondbacks might believe the package they sent for Shelby Miller was fair given their expectations for him and the players they gave up, but they are overpaying market prices. Once viewed as a top-of-the-rotation piece, Miller has largely been an ineffective starter or mop-up reliever since the 2016 season. Atlanta saw a top free agent depart for the second consecutive offseason, watching Dansby Swanson sign with the Cubs a year after Freddie Freeman went to the Dodgers. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff. Dansby Swanson shined for the Braves with his defense and his bat in. sign back TA. Fans would like to think the Dodgers have their eyes peeled on those numbers/stats as they look to acquire another diamond in the rough bullpen contributor. That hasnt always come in the form of actual sacks Davenport was credited with just half a sack in 2022 but hes been a top-20 edge defender at generating pressure during his time in the NFL. Without this trade, it's highly unlikely the Braves ever win the World Series in 2021. I am extremely grateful for the support and love that yall have shown me each of the past 6 years. The most controversial trade of the MLB offseason was undoubtedly the Diamondbacks' bold move with the Atlanta Braves to acquire Shelby Miller. Bats/throws: R/R. As with the AL, no contender is so bad at shortstop as to slip into the danger zone. The first-overall pick in the 2015 draft, Dansby Swanson was probably one of the last players in the entire Diamondbacks organization that anyone expected to move. OK, maybe not so clever. Blair has already made MLB appearances with the Braves. I can't lie: while I'd love to be fully focused on the Cubs right now, I can't shake my interest in other sports at key positions on their calendar. Lyon spent time as the team's closer. Dansby Swanson will be remembered in Atlanta forever, whether he re-signs this offseason or not, and none of it would have been possible if Shelby Miller hadnt pitched the best season of his career with the Braves in 2015. More:Arizona Diamondbacks fans lament Dansby Swanson trade after Atlanta Braves win World Series. His 47.7 percent ground ball rate in 2015 was better than league average, but he walked an above-average number of batters (8.5 percent) while striking out a roughly average amount (19.9 percent). He only played in 23 games and had nine home runs in a D-Backs uniform. The Blue Jays later announced that Guerrero was withdrawing from the WBC. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Swanson played well at. Miller has made at least 31 starts in each of his three full seasons, and averaged 94.1 MPH with his fastball in 2015 (tied for 14th-best in the majors,per FanGraphs). Theyll search for linemen on both sides of the ball, particularly defensive linemen capable of pressuring the opposing quarterback after finishing dead last in the league with a paltry 20 sacks, narrowly eclipsing the total of just Robert Quinn from 2021. He entered the 2015 MLB Draft as a surefire top-five pick with four plus tools, but it was his below-average power that held back the overall profile; yet here we are, with the Cubs signing Swanson coming off of a season in which he launched 25 homers, down slightly from 27 in 2021. Swanson left Vanderbilt after the 2015 season to join the Diamondbacks and begin his professional baseball career. Trust me, itll make sense. Why Atlanta Braves were right to let Dansby Swanson walk in his free agency Because Swanson was a very popular player and one of us, to be quite frank, it is hard to see the silver lining. How the Cubs ended up in a steep descent after playing in three consecutive National League Championship Series from 2015 to 2017, is something people around the team still cannot fully explain. At the time, it looked like a steal for the Atlanta Braves, who had firmly committed themselves to a lengthy rebuilding process. Things wouldnt improve for Miller, however, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017. The optimism that the franchise was finally moving in the right direction was real. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. and even Tyler Anderson over the last few years. Rick Scuteri/USA Today Sports, via Reuters. Needless to say, Swanson was a highly touted prospect. The had another big year, exhibiting more power than ever and rocketing to the top of draft boards. Hes 2-9 with a 7.14 ERA, allowing 55 earned runs in just over 69 innings pitched. He played in just 11 games, hitting .188/.435/.250 with no home runs and a stolen base. Another early look at the Cubs 2023 Opening Day roster, Cubs 6, Athletics 1: Nick Madrigal makes his case. The 2020 season is just about upon us, and TDG ranking SZN is almost concluded. That was true in a sense because Millers 2.30 runs of support was the least a starter had received since 1985. However, he is only under the Braves control through 2022, so theres no guarantee he does that in a Braves uniform. The Diamondbacks dont even know when or if Miller willbe called back up this season. The first-overall pick in the 2015 draft, Dansby Swanson was probably one of the last players in the entire Diamondbacks organization that anyone expected to move. On Dec. 9, 2015, Arizona traded Ender Inciarte, Aaron Blair and Dansby Swanson to the Braves for Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier in what has become one of the worst trades in Diamondbacks history. In fact, the key major league piece received by Atlanta in this deal, Inciarte, was himself worth 3.3 fWAR in 2015-- roughly equal to Miller's production. Well, with the news that the Diamondbacks had optioned Miller to Triple-A Reno on Thursday, this trade looks worse than anyone could have imagined. 1 overall MLB draft pick in the 2015 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. the Braves scored Dansby Swanson, a local kid from the Atlanta suburbs whom the Diamondbacks selected first overall out of Vanderbilt in the 2015 draft. His 7.14 ERA is more than a run worse than any other pitcher with at least 14 MLB starts this season. 12-09-2015: Atlanta Braves traded Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier to Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Ender Inciarte, Aaron Blair and Dansby Swanson. And after Chicagos rebuilding project made an abrupt U-turn this winter, into splurging some $310 million to sign 10 free agents, there is renewed energy in Cubs camp. Needless to say, Swanson was a highly touted prospect. 1 MLB Draft pick, he was an SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll selection. Keep in mind, after posting a 5.67 ERA in his first 12 starts in 2022, Morton had a 3.16 ERA and .194 opponents' average in his next 17 starts, with 102 strikeouts and 24 walks in 80 innings during. They met through a mutual friend in 2017. A three-way deal between the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Indians is underway. While they sent $10 million to the Rangers to help cover Odorizzi's salary, the Braves are saving $2.5 million this season. In 2022, Swanson will earn a base salary of $10,000,000, while carrying a total salary of $10,000,000. Nobody doubts that Davenport is good at football. The Atlanta Braves traded pitcher Shelby Miller on Tuesday for a "package" of Arizona Diamondback players, including Cobb County native Dansby Swanson. Then, rumors that a deal was close, but that Pollock was not involved. But the Braves? He looks around a clubhouse dotted with fresh, young faces and rich, new free agents and acknowledges the glory days of the past and the impending challenges of the now. move lux to SS or get dansby swanson. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP). In a clever bit of wordplay, his Vandy teammates call him "Dans." 10 68.1k 16. Reach Jeremy Cluffat jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. As for Taillon, it sounds like he was always intrigued by the Cubs, but there were two other serious pursuers. According to Heyman, Taillon actually received his biggest offer from the Phillies.Moreover, Taillon initially thought he was going to sign with the Mets, who must've been in that same financial ballpark, and who played in a city Taillon had come to love. Because of the Braves' plan for the future, Swanson and Blair are the two keys to the deal. The case for Dansby Swanson. Not good. As great as Braves fans are, there are a few key differences. As Keith Law of ESPN.com explained earlier this summer, the fallout to that was the Diamondbacks leaving $1.7 million in 2015 draft pool money unused, money that could have been used in the draft. Though his bat has cooled down a bit to the tune of a .268 average and .758 OPS, Swanson was named a starter in the Futures Game. While the headline of this article indicates its about Dansby Swanson, I want to set this up properly, so bear with me a moment while I talk about the NHL and NFL. Eight things to know about the No. Swanson signed a seven-year, $177 million contract this offseason as the Cubs main acquisition. As Ricketts noted, the sudden strategic shift can be partially attributed to the teams going 39-31 to close out the 2022 season. Signing Swanson creates that same redundancy for the 2023 club. Chief among the highly-criticized deals he made was the . Heres the rub: Davenport has missed time in every season of his career thanks to a nonstop barrage of injuries, tallying 416, 532, 374, 437, and 490 snaps over his five seasons. An organizational behavior and management major, he was an SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll selection as a freshman. If you take the second half of last year and take the guys we put on the team the last couple of months, Ricketts said, I think youre pretty optimistic..