Cubs $177 million deal for two-time All-Star predicted to become ‘nightmare’

The Chicago Cubs have to look back on the last few years with some regret.

The team has missed the playoffs for four seasons in a row, despite maintaining one of the highest payrolls in Major League Baseball. Big contracts for Cody Bellinger, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and others have not brought in very many wins.

But there’s one major deal in particular that Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report says will be the Cubs’ “nightmare contract by 2026.” And that would be the seven-year, $177 million contract they inked with shortstop Dansby Swanson in 2022.

“Dansby Swanson is neither the only player nor the worst player the Cubs have signed through 2026,” Rymer noted. “The Cubs signed Swanson off a three-year run in which he had a .775 OPS and a 162-game average of 26 home runs. He lived up to that record in 2023, but not this year as he slipped to a .701 OPS and 16 homers.”

Swanson has played most of his nine-year career with the Atlanta Braves, including a 2022 walk season when he slashed .277/.329/.447 with 25 homers and 18 steals, making the first of his two career All-Star games.

He maintained that All-Star form in his debut year with the Cubs, slashing .244/.328/.416 in 2023. But his numbers dipped across the board in his age-30 campaign in 2024 and the Cubs could be having nightmares if his production continues to slip.

“Specific red flags include an inflating ground-ball rate and less carry on his fly balls,” Rymer added. “As power is his defining offensive tool, these are bad signs. Per his 60 Outs Above Average, Swanson has been MLB’s best defender over the last three years. But even if he still has that going for him in 2026, it will only count for so much if his bat is still in decline.”

As the front office looks to retool the roster and make a return to the postseason, navigating around the money owed to Swanson as well as the other highly-paid veterans on the team will be a challenge.

Hopefully, if Swanson’s contract does become a nightmare for the Cubs, it will be a brief one.

More MLB: Giants $113 million star signing gets failing grade after disappointment