Dodgers Offseason: LA Will Have Plenty of Competition for Top Free Agent Target

Dansby Swanson was the fourth-best of the Big Four free-agent shortstops, but as the last one on the market, supply and demand could drive his price way up.

The Dodgers need a shortstop. They don't necessarily need to sign a free agent shortstop, and they could even go with an internal option like Gavin Lux, Chris Taylor, or even Jacob Amaya. But one of their top goals for the offseason is to figure out who will be playing shortstop for Los Angeles in 2023.

There were four great shortstops on the free-agent market, and three of them have already signed contracts of at least 11 years. The only one left on the board is Dansby Swanson, and being the only one left with several potential suitors is an enviable position for Swanson to be in.

Red Sox appear to be seriously considering star free agent Dansby Swanson now. Would allow them to keep Story at 2B. Swanson’s in very good shape: Cubs, Dodgers, Braves among others interested.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 15, 2022

Swanson's market will be fascinating to watch, because while he's the only star shortstop left, he's also clearly the fourth-best of the Big Four. So while Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, and Carlos Correa set the market, they probably set it quite a bit higher than Swanson is worth.

That said, you can't overlook the power of supply and demand. Honus Wagner was a great player, but he wasn't the only great player depicted in the T206 baseball card set. The reason the T206 Wagner is the most valuable baseball card in the world is because it combines a great player with unbelievable scarcity (Wagner demanded production of his card be stopped, either because he didn't want to encourage children to use tobacco or because he wanted more money, depending on which version you believe), so there are only about 60 known copies of the card in existence.

Well, Swanson has become the T206 Honus Wagner, the only great shortstop in a market with several teams looking for a great shortstop. That could drive his price up much higher than anyone might have predicted based on the actual value he'll provide.

How high will the bidding war go for Swanson? We'll find out soon.