Cubs $177,000,000 star Dansby Swanson expected to play less in 2024, despite team being happy with his performance

Dansby Swanson and the Chicago Cubs narrowly missed the postseason this year, however, the club has already looked ahead to next season. According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, a shift in Swanson's playing time could be part of their strategy for next season.

"The Cubs went above and beyond what the Braves were willing to pay to get Dansby Swanson. Just as he tried to sway the front office at the trade deadline, he will be part of Chicago's offseason debrief, attempting to figure out what went wrong." - @TheAthleticMLB

The potential decision to limit Dansby Swanson's has nothing to do with his production, however, the front office reportedly believes that more rest throughout the season could benefit the shortstop in the long run.

After signing a lucrative seven-year, $177 million contract last offseason, Swanson failed to live up to the expectations that come with such an expensive deal. Coming off of arguably the best season of his MLB career with the Atlanta Braves in 2022, Swanson was able to parlay that level of performance into his massive contract with the Chicago Cubs.

Although Swanson earned an All-Star selection for the second year in a row, his production suffered as the year progressed. After the All-Star break, the 29-year-old only produced a .225 batting average, which the front office has attributed to fatigue.

"Bench Dansby Swanson for the rest of the year. 2 run error and 0-3 with 7 runners left on base through 5 innings. It’d be hard to imagine a player being worse." - @alwaysgounder22

The Chicago Cubs will have plenty of options if they decide to rest Dansby Swanson more next season

The Chicago Cubs have a versatile infield, which includes the likes of Nico Hoerner and Christopher Morel, as well as pending unrestricted free agent Jeimer Candelario. These players could cover for Swanson if he needs a break, while the team could also add more depth in the offseason to play shortstop when Dansby is given a night off.

"The Cubs can’t afford to step back from adding talent. To continue building a legitimate contender, acquiring another power hitter, addressing the corner infield spots and improving pitching depth should be priorities. @M_Montemurro's story." - @ChicagoSports