Dansby Swanson joins the Chicago Cubs: How does the All-Star shortstop's addition improve the team?

The Chicago Cubs and Dansby Swanson have come to a contract agreement, drawing a close to the hectic shortstop free agent market. The 2022 offseason has been dominated by top-tier free agent shortstops, with the top four all joining new teams.

"Dansby Swanson, who was originally offered a 6-year contract for about $100 million to stay in Atlanta, received a 7-year, $177 million contract from the #Cubs" - Bob Nightengale

Aside from Swanson signing with the Cubs, we have seen Trea Turner join the Philadelphia Phillies, Xander Bogaerts join the San Diego Padres, and Carlos Correa inking a 13-year deal with the San Francisco Giants. After all four players have now signed, their combined contracts add up to an astronomical $1.107 billion.

Swanson will be an immediate upgrade over Nico Hoerner, who played shortstop for the Chicago Cubs last season. While Hoerner ranked near the top of every defensive category last season for shortstops, Dansby Swanson finished atop the list.

"An up-the-middle defense of Dansby Swanson, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Nico Hoerner likely would be the best Cubs defensive trio in our lives. The opportunity is right there in front of this organization." - Brendan Miller

He finished as the best defensive shortstop in the majors last season, posting a 20 OAA (outs above average), which was 7 more than the second-highest finisher. His Def rating (defensive value) ranked nearly 5 more than Francisco Lindor, who finished second.

While his defensive stats speak for themselves, Swanson also finished with new career highs in RBIs (96), stolen bases (18), and batting average (.277). He also hit 25 home runs from the Atlanta Braves last season.

"A TOUGH ONE: Thank you for your service @LieutenantDans7 Your bat, hustle, defense, leadership and interviews will be missed. #Braves" - Paul Bryd

If he can continue to produce at this level, Swanson's average annual value of $25.3 million could prove to be a steal for Chicago. However, if his breakout offensive season was merely a one-hit wonder, the Cubs may end up regretting the contract down the road.

Dansby Swanson and the Cubs' quest for the postseason

Chicago Cubs ownership has made it clear that the team is looking to return to the playoffs sooner rather than later. Not only did the team land Swanson, but they also signed Brad Boxberger and Cody Bellinger to one-year deals to assist in their push for playoff contention.

The Cubs are coming off a disappointing season which saw the team finish 74-88, 19.0 games behind the division-winning St. Louis Cardinals.