Is Dansby Swanson going to cost Braves MORE than $20 million per year?

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Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson is likely headed for an NL Player of the Month Award for his numbers in June (.370, 7 HR, and 19 RBI). In a contract year, that could turn into a big payday.

The 2022 free agent shortstop class is likely to reset salary expectations with four prime guys expected to hit the market in Swanson, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, and Carlos Correa (Bogaerts and Correa would have to opt out and both are expected to).

While many think that Correa or Turner may be the top available shortstops in free agency, Swanson is actually the player with the highest WAR this season among those four players, despite a slow start that saw him lead the league in strikeouts for nearly the first month of the season.

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When you take a look at recent shortstop contracts, it seems unlikely that Dansby's next contract will have an average value of anything less than $22 million.

Carlos Correa currently makes $35 million per year and is expected to opt out for a bigger deal. Francisco Lindor has a deal worth $34 million per year, while Corey Seager makes $32 million annually and Fernando Tatis Jr.'s most recent deal pays him $24 million per year.

If Swanson can carry anything close to his June production into July, August, and September, not only would he continue to increase his value, but he could place his name into the National League MVP race.

Unless the Braves rely on the same hometown discount that saw Freddie Freeman leave for LA, if they want to retain Swanson it's likely it will cost them more than $20 million per year and possibly quite a bit more.

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