The Chicago Cubs handed shortstop Dansby Swanson a seven-year deal worth $177 million. The expectation was that the franchise was adding a complete player. Instead, Swanson's value has been increasingly reliant on his defensive abilities, with at-bats becoming frustratingly predictable. This was clear over the last three seasons as Swanson's average has hovered just above .240 and given a modicum of production, even if it wasn't matching expectations.
Expectations that have found a new floor this season as the infielder has continued to create frustration, reaching new offensive lows. Currently, Swanson is hitting .185 with an OBP below .300 in what has been as ugly a season as the infielder has offered Chicago. Even at the bottom of the lineup, the Cubs have every reason for frustration with a player who is as automatic of an out as today's league has to offer.
As frustrating as this might be, there really is no move to be made for the Cubs as they simply have to sit back and hope things turn around for the shortstop. There are three years remaining on Swanson's deal with the cheapest being the final year at $26 million, while the veteran earns a salary of $28 million each of the next two seasons.
Cubs Continue to Find New Levels of Frustration with Underpeforming Dansby Swanson
It doesn't help matters that after an incredibly hot start from Chicago, the team has cooled considerably and trails the Milwaukee Brewers by 4.5 games heading into June. The Cubs were in the driver's seat not long ago, but ran out of steam with an inconsistent offense, shouldering a lot of the blame for the way the season has fallen.
Swanson has to bear a lot of blame for this based on the fact that he has been such a consistent offensive liability. Cubs fans have reached a point where anytime the shortstop steps to the plate, it is a surprise to see the at-bat end in anything other than a strikeout or an easy out.
What makes the situation all the more maddening is looking at the dollar amount spent on Swanson and shopping for what this could've offered a team on the edges of serious contention. Chicago made a clear mistake overpaying a shortstop that hasn't lived up to expectations at the plate and still found a way to invent a new low this season.
All of this adds up to the fact that the Cubs are going to need to make some deadline improvements if they hope to hang in the postseason race. While a breakup with Swanson appears impossible, the franchise can explore viable options to offset the clear liability the shortstop has become.
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