Despite elite defense, Dansby Swanson’s plummeting metrics and high-leverage struggles have turned the $177 million shortstop into a massive offensive liability for the struggling North Siders.
Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson was the team’s big offseason signing before the 2023 season.
Swanson was coming off an All-Star campaign with the Atlanta Braves in 2022 and eventually signed a seven-year, $177 million deal with the Cubs in late December.
In his first year with the North Siders, Swanson showed exactly why he was highly recruited in free agency. The veteran hit .244 with 22 home runs, 80 RBI, and nine stolen bases across 160 games and finished with a 5.2 WAR in 2023.
Unfortunately, that same 5.2 WAR player has not showed up in the early portion of the 2026 season.
Swanson is slashing just .189/.289/.349 with seven home runs, four doubles, and 27 RBI in 50 games this year. His numbers have dipped even lower in the month of May, as the 32-year-old is batting a mere .155 with three extra-base hits and four RBI across 20 games this month.
It has no doubt been a tough offensive season for Swanson. While his prior track record suggests he’ll eventually break out of this slump, his metrics are worrisome.
His xwOBA (.312), expected batting average against (.214), expected slugging (.390), and launch angle sweet spot rate (27.7%) all rank in the bottom half of the league. Swanson’s contact ability is also becoming a big concern. Both his strikeout rate (21.7%) and whiff rate (29.3%) rank extremely poor.
Those metrics don’t even include the fact that Swanson can’t hit with runners in scoring position. He has a .170 batting average (8-for-47) with one home run, one double, and 17 RBI and has a .118 batting average (4-for-34) with three extra base hits in high-leverage spots this year. Paying a player over $25 million a season to not hit in these situations is not ideal.
It seems like Swanson always comes up in these spots and never comes through. That’s exactly what played out in Monday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs shortstop came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the second inning. He then proceeded to strike out on a sweeper way out of the zone.
Swanson continues to play exceptional defense in the infield (3 Fielding Run Value), but his bat is becoming a major liability in the lineup. The Cubs simply need that to change. His -4 Batting Run Value on Baseball Savant currently ranks in the 25th percentile.
Hopefully, his bat heats up as the weather warms up. Right now, though, Swanson has not been a productive bat in Chicago’s lineup.
