92.9 The Game Atlanta Braves Insider Grant McAuley joined Dukes and Bell for his regular appearance on the show and talked about Dansby Swanson. After another big series from the local star, what will it cost the team to keep the soon-to-be free-agent shortstop?
When asked about what a Dansby Swanson contract might look like.
“This is a guy that went from being at the start of the year, as somebody like me and I’m free to admit that this is probably wrong and grossly under market now, if I could figure out a way to do a five-year, $90-million deal with Dansby, I would have liked that, back in April,” McAuley said. “But he’s had such a good year, that’s just not a possibility anymore.
"We’re talking about a nine-figure contract, what that looks like, I think would be somewhere akin to the average annual value that you’re looking at between Matt Olson and Austin Riley. So we’re taking about a $22-, $23-million a year player. Is that five years, six years, is it five years an option, six years an option what does that look like? That would just be my educated guesstimate on what a Dansby Swanson deal could look like.”
McAuley talked about the full shortstop free agent class this offseason.
“There is a very rich class of shortstops that’s gonna be out on the free agent market including Carlos Correa, who I fully expect to opt out of his deal in Minnesota so he can get a bigger deal for more years," McAuley said. "Xander Bogaerts can opt out in Boston, Trea Turner’s gonna be a free agent as well then you throw Dansby in that mix. I don’t know if I’m forgetting anybody but that’s four good ones to start with right there.
"So it’s gonna be a very interesting shortstop class once we do get to that hot stove.”