Dodgers Rumors: Analyst Sees LA As 'Best Fit' for Dansby Swanson

MLB analyst Harold Reynolds thinks Dansby Swanson to the Dodgers "makes a lot of sense" as the shortstop market dwindles.

The Dodgers remain in the shortstop market, even as the shortstop market gets smaller and smaller. Trea Turner left L.A. to go to Philadelphia, and Xander Bogaerts turned down the Red Sox to sign with the Padres.

That means there are still several teams in need of a shortstop — the Dodgers, Braves, Twins, Cubs, Cardinals, Red Sox, and Giants, at least — and only two elite shortstops left on the free-agent market. Carlos Correa isn't likely to come to Los Angeles for a variety of reasons, but Dansby Swanson definitely could.

On MLB Network, Harold Reynolds and Jon Morosi had a discussion about Swanson, and after Morosi detailed why both St. Louis and Chicago make sense, he brought up the Dodgers and said not to rule them out. Reynolds agreed.

"I look at Dansby, I just wrote down Dodgers. That's the best fit. You know why? He's got Freddie Freeman over there saying, 'I'm telling you guys about this guy every day.'

"And if you look at the history of the Dodgers, I know they love platooning -- they move guys all over the place. The one position they do not; (Corey) Seager played every day at short. Then comes Trea Turner every day at shortstop. If that is your philosophy, that we got one guy that's gonna play every day, Dansby Swanson's your man. ...

"I love Dansby to the Dodgers, that makes a lot of sense to me."

The latest on the star shortstops still on the free agent market 👀👀@jonmorosi | @RoFlo | #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/Hx7CrkLiRe

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 9, 2022

Swanson received a qualifying offer from the Braves, so if the Dodgers were to sign him, they'd love their second and fifth picks in the 2023 draft and $1 million in international bonus pool money. L.A. has collected two compensation picks between the fourth and fifth rounds because Tyler Anderson and Trea Turner both signed elsewhere, so the picks they'd lose are their second-round pick and one of those compensation picks.

Swanson is the worst hitter of the Big Four free-agent shortstops, but he's probably the best fielder. And he's not a bad hitter, with an OPS+ of 108 over the last three seasons. He's just not on the level of Turner, Bogaerts, and Correa.

But he is close with Freeman, and he's durable and plays excellent defense. And he'd likely be quite a bit cheaper than the other guys, although in this current environment he still won't be cheap.