Cubs have obvious bad contract swap candidate but it's hard to imagine they'd make deal

Barring an unexpected setback, the Chicago Cubs will get Gold Glove shortstop Dansby Swanson back next weekend, giving an already-elite defensive group another big upgrade in the closing weeks of the regular season.

It's been a strange season for the former first-round pick, full of highs and lows. He battled through one of the worst prolonged slumps of his big-league career, turned in a week-long heater for the record books and continued to play his usual rock-solid defense at short.

But as teams start to cast an eye toward the offseason and think about how they might go about addressing their needs (for the Cubs, it's primary two outfield spots and a whole lot of pitching), there's always a discussion of bad contract swaps. While I wouldn't necessarily call Swanson's deal 'bad' yet - if he takes another step in the wrong direction offensively in 2027, it could quickly end up in that category.

A bad contract swap trade involving Dansby Swanson is highly unlikely

The Cubs will be without Cade Horton for most of, if not all, of the 2027 season. Justin Steele should be back, but comes with questions - and he's not alone. Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown both carry significant health concerns, meaning the rotation is far from rock-solid.

I don't need to rehash the issues found in the Chicago bullpen. They've been talked about and pulled apart in every imaginable way. This is going to be a major area of focus for Jed Hoyer this winter. But you're not exploring a bad contract swap trade to shore up the bullpen. If (and that's a big 'if') you're trying to get that creative, it's going to be for a starting pitcher.

Spencer Strider could make sense, but the last thing the Cubs need is more rotation uncertainty. A Carlos Rodon swap, maybe, given the Yankees' middle infield questions. Again, both come with concerns and it's clear that Swanson is an integral part of this team's DNA. Hoyer isn't going to head into the winter actively shopping one of his team's most important veterans.

The lack of a true 'bad contract' also raises expectations for the front office. There's no shelter behind 'bad money on the books' that should prevent the Cubs from rounding out this roster and assembling a pitching staff that's worthy of this elite defense and above-average position player group, led by Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman, heading into 2027.

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