Dansby Swanson is making some key changes that Cubs fans will love to hear

Since signing with the Chicago Cubs in 2023 on a seven-year, $177 million contract, Dansby Swanson has left something to be desired with the bat. While his glove has been as advertised — it was literally the key to winning the NL Wild Card last year — he's only had one above-average offensive season so far on the North Side, and even that was only a 105 wRC+ in his first season. 2025 was particularly disappointing, though. It wasn't his worst outing by any means, but he only slashed .244/.300/.417 with a 99 wRC+ on a competitive team that could've used more star-level production.

Swanson showed some troubling signs with the bat that created questions about how much he'll be able to provide offensively going forward. He had both the second-worst walk rate and second-worst strikeout rate of his career at 7.3% and 26% respectively, while also hitting a dreadful .204/.272/.362/74 wRC+ with runners in scoring position. In any situation classified as high leverage, he ranked as the 12th-worst hitter in baseball with only a 48 wRC+. He did at least club 24 home runs, his most as a Cub, but that didn't take away from what has been two straight years of lackluster results.

Of course, Swanson knows about those struggles better than any fan. He's already opened up this offseason about his frustrations with his performance at the plate of late. In a new article from The Athletic by Sahadev Sharma, however, he and hitting coach Dustin Kelly shared more about how the shortstop was out to prove he belonged higher in the lineup again. That meant making tangible changes to his training, specifically focused on offense.

Kelly didn't get too far into specifics, but the overall goal he emphasized was to keep Swanson athletic and loose at the plate. "Trying not to get too rigid or stuck in a certain way of doing it," he told The Athletic. "You watch him play shortstop and see how he moves and flows and how everything falls into place. That’s kind of the approach we’re taking. Keeping him moving and flowing through the setup, the leg kick, and the swing." It's not, however, a complete overhaul of his mechanics, batting stance, or anything else — just crucial tweaks to the setup and different focuses in his regimen to hopefully stop him from having as many disastrous stretches of baseball like his March and April last year, or his July, where his strikeout rate skyrocketed to 32.7%.

It's encouraging to know that the Cubs and their shortstop are shaking things up to, hopefully, get results. One other thing that may help Swanson is that he's been completely healthy this offseason. After the 2024 season, he underwent core surgery that would've limited what he could actually do to get ready. There's been little holding him back this time from addressing what's gone wrong in recent seasons.

Dansby Swanson's improvements will have to be seen to be believed

All that said, it's important not to get hopes too high for what these changes will mean for Swanson. Every Spring Training, there's always somebody coming into camp in the "best shape of their lives" or making game-changing tweaks that, ultimately, don't make much of a difference when the rubber meets the road. Swanson acknowledged as much himself, even though he swears things are "clicking a little differently than in years past." The only thing that will give Cubs fans confidence is if he actually proves in-game that he can hit more consistently.

At age 32, it wouldn't be surprising if part of his recent struggles is due to a steady decline. As long as he can still play shortstop at an elite level for the Cubs, though, he'll always be valuable. Even with a middling bat throughout his Cubs career, he has two 4+ fWAR seasons and a 3.3 fWAR campaign last year. However, if he could get back to around a 110 wRC+ like his absolute best years with the Braves, that would be a pleasant surprise to bolster what's projected to be a very strong lineup that doesn't necessarily expect him to be the guy.

Whether you look at ZiPS, Steamer, or another system, the sentiment about Swanson is that his likeliest outcome is a very similar offensive year to 2025. For his, the team's, and our sakes, let's hope these latest changes can help him do what Jed Hoyer loves best — beat the projections.