ATLANTA — Braves fans will have yet another heart wrenching goodbye this offseason as they will be forced to say farewell to the second star to depart via free agency in as many seasons.
Dansby Swanson, a hometown kid who was raised in Kennesaw, is leaving the Braves after seven major league seasons with the team after it was announced Saturday he is signing a 7-year, $177 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, a source confirmed to 11Alive. The contract features a full no-trade clause.
After attending Vanderbilt, Swanson was drafted first overall in the 2015 MLB First Year Player Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Swanson was promptly traded to the Braves for a significant prospect package not long after. He made his major league debut against the Twins at Turner Field in 2016.
Perhaps Swanson's most memorable moment was when he hit a game-tying home run in Game 4 of the World Series at Truist Park, which led to the go ahead shot one batter later. Swanson also recorded the final out of the Braves' 2021 World Series win in Houston.
Braves fans remember just one offseason ago, when beloved face of the franchise Freddie Freeman wasn't ultimately resigned, as Atlanta traded for then-A's first baseman Matt Olson which led to Freeman signing a free agent deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Braves SS hole will be left to filled by a competition between Vaughn Grissom and Orlando Arcia, barring the team signing or trading for another player.
Swanson will return to Atlanta Sept. 26-28, when the Cubs visit Truist Park. The Braves will visit Wrigley Field before that, when they play a three-game set Aug. 4-6.
Swanson recently got married to his now-wife Mallory Pugh who plays for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League. The ceremony was at Georgia's Lake Oconee.