'It was the right signing for us': Swanson's first season with the Cubs a mixed bag

One of the keys to building a consistent championship-caliber roster is signing the right free agents.

Add the wrong players to bloated, long-term deals and it can have disastrous results.

So how have the Cubs fared thus far in inking shortstop Dansby Swanson to a seven-year, $177 million contract last off-season?

At this point, the jury's out. While Swanson was a tremendous voice in the clubhouse and a terrific fielder, he also finished with a .244 batting average, .328 on-base percentage and a .744 OPS while hitting 22 home runs and driving in 80 in 147 games.

While those aren't awful numbers, a bit more was expected for someone making more than $25 million a year. Swanson also went 3-for-24 and didn't drive in a run in his final seven games.

The untimely slump contributed to the Cubs getting swept in Atlanta and dropping a pivotal series opener against Milwaukee on Friday

"It's very unfortunate things didn't go the way we all wanted it to and kind of expected it to," Swanson said. "That one's a little tough one to swallow - especially not performing up to standards when it mattered most. That's probably what eats away at me the most."

Athletes often talk about how difficult it can be to live up to the first year of big contracts, especially when they switch teams. So was that an issue?

"I'd be lying if I said it never once affected me," said Swanson, who with the Braves in 2022 set career marks in average (.277), RBIs (96) and steals (18) while also hitting 25 HRs while playing in every game. "It wasn't as much about the contract as it was just wanting to perform for this group.

"You want to do everything you can to win and when it doesn't work out it can be frustrating and disappointing. But overall it was a pretty good first year. ... There's so many guys in this room who have bought into what we really want to do."

Three other shortstops signed monster deals last off-season: Carlos Correa with the Twins ($33.3M a year), Trea Turner with the Phillies ($27.2M) and Xander Bogaerts with the Padres ($25.45M). While Correa bombed, slashing .230/.312/.399, Turner posted similar numbers to Swanson (.266/.320/.459 with 26 HRs), and Bogaerts impressed by hitting .285, posting a .350 OBP while stealing 19 bases and hitting 19 HRs.

"I thought Dansby had a very successful first season," Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said. "It was the right signing for us.

"The infield defense and chemistry was pretty remarkable. Any play that was makable was made for the most part. Also a great teammate and a great leader. It was a win-win."

Swanson was most thankful for how quickly he was accepted and how much support he received when his wife, Mallory, underwent season-ending knee surgery in April. Mallory plays soccer for the Chicago Red Stars and the U.S. national team.

"So grateful and appreciative of how accepting everyone was of me and my personality," Swanson said, "and just kind of treating me like we've always been together. Having newness is a tough thing for me and really being able to grow personally through all the adversity was so fulfilling."

In the coming days and weeks, Swanson will self-assess how he can improve. He'll also bend Jed Hoyer's ear with opinions on what the Cubs need to do to reach the next level.

Then in 2024, the veteran hopes the Cubs can become like the Braves and become perennial World Series contenders.

"With how we finished people are going to think it's further off than it actually is," Swanson said. "There's a lot of really, really talented players not only here but at the lower levels that can contribute.

"And off-season free agency, there's plenty of moves that can be done there as well that could really get us rolling in the right direction.

"But definitely a good step this year and confident about things moving forward. ... We were just a game (or) two short."

By the numbers

<b>Season-ending Cubs stats and facts:</b>• The Cubs finished with an 83-79 record, a 9-win improvement over 2022. They lost 12 of 17 at the end, however, and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.

• Justin Steele (16-5) had MLB's sixth-best ERA (3.06) and tied for third in victories. Steele had the most wins by a Cubs pitcher since Jon Lester went 18-5 in 2018.

• Cody Bellinger finished sixth in MLB in batting average (. 307), ninth in slugging (. 525) and 12th in OPS (. 881). He had his fourth 20-homer season (26), set a career high in steals (20) and drove in 97 runs - while not playing in 32 games.

• Ian Happ (21 HRs) had his third 20-homer season and set career highs in RBIs (84) and triples (4).

• Seiya Suzuki slashed .285/.357/.485 while hitting 20 home runs and driving in 74 runs in 138 games.

• Yan Gomes' 63 RBIs were the second-highest of his career.

• Christopher Morel reached safely in 15 of 16 games to end the season. He tied Bellinger for the team lead in HRs (26), was fifth with 70 RBIs and slashed .247/.313/.508.

• Jameson Taillon (4.84) and Drew Smyly (5.00) had the worst ERAs of their careers (although Taillon's was 2.56 in his last 7 appearances).

• Marcus Stroman's ERA went from 2.28 on June 20 to 3.95 by season's end. He also gave up 7 unearned runs over that stretch.

• Adbert Alzolay had the team's best ERA at 2.67 and finished with 22 saves. ...

• As a team, the Cubs were sixth in runs (819), OBP (. 330) and triples (30); eighth in steals (140) and OPS (. 751) and 15th in home runs (196). They finished with a team ERA of 4.08 (14th overall) and allowed 179 home runs (tied for sixth best).