Swan song: Braves fans react to Swanson's departure

Dec. 23—Star players come and star players go. It's the nature of business in Major League Baseball, or any sport, for that matter.

That doesn't make the departures any easier for fans, who have invested time, energy and money into their heroes on the diamond.

This rings especially true for Marietta's native son, Dansby Swanson, the all-star shortstop for the Atlanta Braves who became a free agent after the 2022 season.

Swanson finalized a seven-year, $177 million deal with the Chicago Cubs this week, bringing an end to his seven-year tenure with the Braves.

Deja vu

For some, like Braves fanatic Sam Matthews, the retired senior pastor of Marietta First United Methodist Church, Swanson's departure brings back sour memories of other stars leaving Atlanta.

"I've grieved things like this since 1966. The Braves traded Eddie Matthews, my childhood hero, to Houston on New Year's Eve, which was a terrible way to start 1967," said Sam Matthews (no relation).

Matthews said baseball's uniqueness stems from it being "a game of the heart and a game of the head."

He had hoped the hearts would win out in the case of Swanson. Perhaps the Braves would offer him more money than they had planned to, and Swanson, who had a breakout year in 2022, would consider taking less than other teams were willing to offer.

"But bottom line, it's a business," Matthews said. "Yeah, we will grieve. He was family and well-beloved here, and this is just one of the moments when the heart is secondary to the business of baseball, I guess."

Swanson's signing with the Cubs brings to mind another high-profile free agent departure from the Braves: Freddie Freeman, who, after 12 seasons in Atlanta, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in March 2022.

At the Battery Atlanta Thursday, the MDJ spoke to Atlanta residents Michael and Amber Vestal on Swanson's decision to pack his bags for the Windy City.

Amber Vestal, originally from Marietta and a Lassiter High graduate, will miss Swanson's flashy plays on defense. Michael Vestal will miss Swanson's "cohesive influence" and reputation as a great teammate. However, neither of them think Swanson is a generational shortstop.

"He's just a good shortstop," Michael Vestal said.

In fact, the Vestals said they were more disappointed about losing Freeman last year than Swanson.

Big shoes to fill

Blake Weatherby, a carpenter from Kennesaw, was at the Marietta Square when the MDJ got his take on the end of Swanson's tenure in Atlanta.

A Braves fan since the glory days of the 1990s (five World Series appearances and one victory, in 1995), Weatherby said the value of guys like Swanson cannot be overstated, especially in the wake of the Braves' 2021 World Series win.

From Swanson's defensive prowess as a Gold Glove infielder to his ability to get hot at the plate and speed around the bases, Weatherby said the Braves will be hard pressed to fill his shoes without splurging.

"I don't even know how you could fill the gap in the infield, with the way that they're paying out now," Weatherby said.

At the Battery Thursday, Sara Wilton and her mom, Christy Wilton, of Johns Creek, offered their take.

"We don't have, like, a clubhouse guy anymore, really," Sara Wilton said. "I feel like it was Freddie, and then Freddie left, and then it was Dansby."

As partial season ticket holders for the past few years — the Wiltons catch most Friday games — they grew fond of the shortstop.

Christy Wilton praised Swanson for being dynamic as a gifted infielder who also delivered time and again offensively.

"You could tell every time he went up to bat that he wanted it, you could see it in his eye, that he wanted to do whatever he could to help the team," Christy Wilton said.

Sara Wilton added that his winning attitude was so infectious, even Braves manager Brian Snitker made note of it.

"Snit also said at the end of the season ... how he never met someone who wanted to win more than Dansby, which I think is going to be a really big loss, because they all said that he made them want to win more," Sara Wilton said.

Confidence remains

Joseph Gilbert, a Mableton resident, is a big Braves fan and baseball cap collector who has gotten used to the team churning out talent, only for guys like Freeman and Swanson leaving for millions more in other markets.

"I can't hold it against him, I'm happy he's getting paid, but it sucks to see him leave," Gilbert said.

Gilbert said he will miss Swanson's "flow"; that is, his hair, which contributed to many around Atlanta swooning over the shortstop.

"Every young girl in Cobb County is in love with Dansby," Matthews said. "I think my wife is too."

Gilbert hopes the Braves turn to their farm system for young talent instead of spending big bucks on top-shelf stars, similar to the strategies taken by the New York teams and the Dodgers.

Weatherby is even more motivated to watch Braves games now that Swanson is gone. He wants to see what the team's able to accomplish without him.

Speaking of farm system talent, the Braves could fill the hole left by Swanson with Vaughn Grissom, the 21-year-old who showed his potential to star after being called up last season.

Sara Wilton noted that the Braves All-Star second baseman, Ozzie Albies, will be back this season. Plus, she and mom Christy noted, third baseman Austin Riley and reigning National League Rookie of the Year Michael Harris II are signed to long-term deals — the future is strong, even without the hometown hero.

Matthews, who attends all Braves home games, said he and other fans will have to live with Swanson's departure, even though it breaks their hearts.

Matthews added that he thinks Swanson is taking more of a risk heading to a hostile atmosphere like Chicago, and believes the Braves will manage without him.

"We'll win the World Series next year, I'll assume," Matthews said.