ATLANTA — Now that Dansby Swanson has received his qualifying offer from the Braves, he will now learn exactly how profitable the free agent market might be.
The Braves extended a qualifying offer to Swanson before Thursday’s 5 pm ET deadline. This was a procedural move that guarantees Atlanta will receive Draft pick compensation if the veteran shortstop opts to sign elsewhere.
This year’s qualifying offer is for one year and $19.65 million. Swanson will almost certainly reject this offer before Tuesday’s 4 pm ET deadline and then pursue a multiyear deal that could include an average annual value of more than $20 million.
Swanson was the only Braves free agent to receive a qualifying offer this year. Kenley Jansen wasn’t eligible because he previously received a qualifying offer from the Dodgers in 2016.
If Swanson declines the qualifying offer and signs elsewhere, the Braves would receive a compensatory pick after the Competitive Balance Round B is completed in next summer’s MLB Draft. If Swanson leaves the Braves, the signing team could lose at least one Draft pick and international bonus money. The exact penalty is determined by the team’s payroll figure.
Swanson positioned himself for a hefty payday this past season. He ranked second among MLB shortstops with 6.4 fWAR (Fangraphs’ Wins Above Replacement), trailing only the Mets’ Francisco Lindor (6.8). Swanson also ranked 12th among all MLB players with this mark.
Drafted by the D-backs with the first overall pick in 2015 and then traded to the Braves six months later, Swanson has served as Atlanta’s shortstop since August 2016. He endured some growing pains at the plate during the early part of his career. But he has tallied at least 25 homers in each of the past two seasons and continued to be one of the game’s elite defenders. Swanson ranked second among all MLB players and first among all shortstops with 21 Outs Above Average this year.
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