Dansby Swanson is still not an Atlanta Brave. I don’t know why.

It has been months since he declared himself a free agent. I don’t know why that remains to be the case.

Maybe the asking price is too steep for a player with just one breakout season. Maybe the years associated with that price tag are too long for the Braves or any team to be tied to that one player.

It may also be the case where the Braves feel comfortable with Vaughn Grissom, coming off a solid rookie season, can patrol shortstop for the foreseeable future.

It is a case of déjà vu for the 2021 World Series champions. Following that season the Braves said goodbye to the face of the franchise and arguably one of the franchise’s top 5 position players of all time in Freddie Freeman. He went home to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Braves’ postseason rival for so many years.

Freeman’s departure was emotional, not just for him leaving Atlanta but also for Braves faithful. Freeman was one of the team’s most popular players ever who had endured some challenging seasons when the team underwent a massive rebuild. He stayed and enjoyed the championship run of 2021.

Swanson is this year’s Freeman. While he has yet to establish himself as the player Freeman is, Swanson’s popularity with Atlanta fans rival that of Freeman. He is an Atlanta native and was part of the trade package where the Braves fleeced the Arizona Diamondbacks who acquired starting pitcher Shelby Miller.

Swanson is a good player, just not a great player. What would be concerning for me is that prior to last year, Swanson patrolled shortstop for five full seasons, tallying at least 120 strikeouts in every season (other than the COVID year of 2020) while never batting above .274 in a season. His breakout season in 2022 ended with a .277 average and a career-high 96 RBIs. But he still struck out an astounding 182 times.

The Braves survived Freeman’s departure by trading for and signing Matt Olson to a long-term deal. The team won another National League East Division championship before losing in the N.L. Divisional Series.

While a Swanson departure would sting the franchise initially, it would not cripple or hamper the momentum the team has built up under general manager Alex Anthopoulos. Fans will likely vent their frustration at seeing another popular Brave jettison town. But I would argue the team has as bright of a future as it could have envisioned since the mid-90s.

I would love to see Swanson return to Atlanta, I just don’t see it happening at this point in the offseason.