Chicago Cubs Need More Out of Top Free Agent Signing Dansby Swanson
Last winter, the Chicago Cubs made former Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson their $177 million man.
Swanson has excelled at the shortstop position during his first year in his new home. As of Monday, he has a 4.7 WAR and was named a National League All-Star for the second time in his career earlier this summer.
Adding the star in free agency and sliding Nico Hoerner over to second base has given the Cubs the best defensive middle infield in the sport.
Swanson leads all Major League players with 19 Outs Above Average. Hoerner is sixth, with 15 OAA. The combination for 34 OAA is by far the highest total for a middle infield across the league.
But while Swanson has brought tremendous value to Chicago at a premium defensive position, the eighth-year veteran has not performed like a star at the plate, struggling especially over the last three months.
Through 136 games this season, the shortstop is batting .249/.329/.421 and since June 5, he has slashed just .229/.299/.410. During that time, he has primarily batted second (67 games) or fifth (58 games) in the Cubs' lineup.
Swanson has also clubbed 20 home runs and 74 RBI this season, which are not bad numbers by any means, but for a top-of-the-lineup hitter with the largest contract on a team jockeying for a playoff berth, Chicago needs more from him offensively.
Coming off being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cubs have lost eight of their last 10 games and now are on the outside-looking-in of the National League Playoffs.
Down six-and-a-half games with under two weeks remaining in the regular season, an NL Central division title appears to be out of reach. There are six NL Wild Card hopefuls vying for three spots. Among Chicago's five competitors, David Ross' club loses every head-to-head tiebreaker, aside from a potential tie with the San Francisco Giants.
If the Cubs are tied for a Wild Card spot with the Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins or Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago would be the odd team out. They will need to finish with a better record than at least two of those teams, in order to return to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
The Cubs play six games this week at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies, before traveling to face the Braves and Milwaukee Brewers for a pair of tough series next week. The pressure is beginning to mount, and they need to get something going quickly.
Swanson isn't the only player at the top of Chicago's lineup that has gone cold in recent months. Ian Happ's struggles have been well-documented.
Happ received a three-year, $61 million extension with a no-trade clause in April. While primarily batting in the three-hole, Happ has slashed .223/.333/.401 over his last 109 games.
Sunday night, Happ led off, with Hoerner batting second and Christopher Morel batting third. Through his first 65 games of the season, Morel was playing like a star, slashing .282/.342/.552 with 17 home runs and 52 RBI. In his 33 games since, he has slashed just .170/.244/.375.
Over the last week and a half, the Cubs were outscored 48-33 by Arizona and the Rockies, dropping eight of 10. In order for the Cubs to return to the postseason, they are going to need more production out of their bats at the top of the lineup.
Now is the time for Swanson to make his money.
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