MESA, AZ. – Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson is playing the role Freddie Freeman served when the former arrived in Atlanta. Swanson, 30, is now the accomplished, well-compensated veteran welcoming budding youngsters into the clubhouse. Teammates look to Swanson to learn about winning, hoping to someday achieve what his old team did in 2021.
It doesn’t feel that long ago that the Braves acquired Swanson, a top prospect and recent No. 1 pick, in a hilariously lopsided trade with Arizona. It doesn’t feel that long ago that Swanson had immense pressure upon his debut, being the hometown kid and face of a rebuild. It doesn’t feel that long ago that he was sent to Triple-A while struggling. Or how he ultimately emerged into an All-Star shortstop who fielded the final grounder in Game 6 of the World Series.
“Eighth year, wow,” Swanson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I don’t have any other words other than it’s wild.”
When Swanson reached the majors in 2016, Freeman was the Braves’ steady presence at first base surrounded by constant change. The team was enduring a rebuild in which its roster was churning through unheralded veterans. Swanson was the first arrival of a wave that turned the Braves into a power.
In Chicago, others seek Swanson’s wisdom. He’s their Freeman, setting the example for teammates. He’s a franchise ambassador who’s carrying himself with quiet confidence that’s said to strengthen those around him.
“Even without him saying anything, just the way he goes about his work is really influential,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner told The AJC. “He’s so consistent and he wants to play every day. He cares about winning regardless of his own failures or success. He carries himself in a similar way and treats people really well, sets a nice tone for how to be a professional for everybody. Even guys who’ve been here for a while can learn from somebody like that.”
One of Swanson’s most prominent former teammates agreed:
“Dansby is a glue guy,” Freeman told The AJC. “He brings everybody together. Everybody wants to be around him. He knows baseball. He knows how to teach baseball. He understands people. He’s a deep thinker. He’s a deep talker. He’ll sit with you and talk – not even baseball, he’ll just talk for hours. He’s just good company to be around.
“For him to lead his own team, it’s really, really cool. I know Braves fans would love for him to still be in Atlanta. I get it. But he’s a Cub now and he’s going to do everything he can to be the best version of Dansby Swanson.”
The Cubs are striving to become what Swanson helped build in Atlanta. He knows what sustained success looks like. He knows the importance of creating expectations and standards. He knows the payoff for unwavering commitment.
The Braves have won six consecutive National League East division titles – five of which came with Swanson – and are heavily favored for a seventh. The Cubs, meanwhile, haven’t surpassed 84 wins in a season since 2018. Since they jettisoned the core of their 2016 championship club, they’ve embarked on a rebuild hoping it produces a long-term contender.
When they signed Swanson to a seven-year, $177 million deal last winter, he immediately became a headliner for the new-look Cubs. Swanson hit .244 with a .744 OPS, earning his second All-Star nod and a Gold Glove. The team had some success, winning 83 games and pushing for a Wild Card before the Braves swept them at Truist Park during the season’s final week, a devastating blow that cost them a playoff spot.
But the postseason wasn’t expected last year. This season, the team intends to leap up the standings with Swanson leading the way.
“Dansby carries himself with great confidence,” new Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “That’s a form of leadership, if that makes sense, because other players see that. They see how you react to things.
“For me, seeing him now for a couple weeks, it’s more impressive. Watching him pick up a ground ball – you know he’s won a Gold Glove and everything, so you knew he was good. But now that I’m watching it, I’m like, ‘Oh my God. Could you make it look any easier?’ It’s fun to watch. And that confidence, that’s leadership.”
The Cubs should be better in 2024. They swiped Counsell, a proud Wisconsinite, from the Brewers in one of the more stunning managerial moves in history. Counsell is considered among the sport’s premier managers, if not the best.
“That was kind of a shock,” Swanson said. “He’s pretty darn awesome.”
Chicago added Japanese lefty Shota Imanaga to its rotation and Hector Neris to its bullpen. Former Dodgers prospect Michael Busch will have a chance for consistent opportunities. The team added needed depth. Most recently, the Cubs re-signed former MVP Cody Bellinger, who had a resurgent season in 2023.
Still, the Cubs were criticized for a largely quiet winter after luring Counsell. Swanson pushes back on that notion, citing the exciting nucleus the organization is assembling. The Cubs have the No. 4 farm system, per Baseball America. It’s their first time owning a top-five system in nine years.
“I think we’ve had a good (offseason),” Swanson said. “I think at times we can get so lost in the outside, free-agency-type moves and trades. We put so much emphasis on that that we don’t always see the things that are actually happening. There are so many great internal things going on here. Whether it’s your core players who are still ascending and getting better, or whether it’s your farm system kids who could be getting the chance to be really, really good. I think oftentimes we overlook that side of it. I think we’re doing a phenomenal job with that.”
Hoerner: “Having a combination of guys who’ve had success and a minor-league system really being at a high level right now is how you make that sustainable. The young talent coming up from within the organization, then spending money and adding when you need to. We’re heading in the right direction.”
It’s challenging to achieve the highs and consistency that’s made the Braves and Dodgers the National League’s model franchises. But the resource-rich Cubs are uniquely equipped to join them with proper development and a few more savvy moves.
Just as Freeman’s Dodgers and the division-rival Phillies currently compete with the Braves for NL supremacy, Swanson’s Cubs might not be too far away from making the NL even more interesting.
“They just have a good aura going over there,” Freeman said. “I believe that’s a lot to do with Dansby and what he brings every single day. He works. You can always talk and talk and talk, but if you’re not doing the little things, and trying to nail every drill with a purpose, it’s hard to say anything. When you have someone who works as hard as Dansby, who cares about people and wants the best for everybody, that’s the total package. To go out there and play every single day at shortstop, those are hard to find.
“That’s why Dansby Swanson is hard to find. That’s why, for me – I love Dansby. I’ll be him in (the top) class (of shortstops). Anybody would want Dansby on their team. The Cubs got a good one.”
About the Author
