The Chicago Cubs have reached an agreement with free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson on a seven-year, $177 million contract which includes a full no-trade clause, ESPN reported on Saturday.

Having appeared in all of the Atlanta Braves' 162 regular season games in 2022, Swanson hit a batting average of .277 with an on-base plus slugging of. 776. He was selected into the MLB All-Star Game for the first time in his career and received his first Gold Glove Award. One year ago, he won the World Series championship with the team.

The Cubs spent the past two seasons on rebuild and they made several moves during this offseason to start with defense. Swanson's arrival will enable Nico Hoerner to go back to the second base, where he was a Gold Glove finalist in 2020. Moreover, the team signed Cody Bellinger, who won the Gold Glove Award in 2019, to play in the center field.

Swanson's contract became the largest deal the Cubs have offered since they inked outfielder Jason Heyward on an eight-year, $184 million contract in 2016. Star free agent shortstops were very popular during this MLB offseason. Before Swanson (13-year, $350 million with the San Francisco Giants), Trea Turner (11-year, $300 million with Philadelphia Phillies) and Xander Bogaerts (11-year, $280 million with the San Diego Padres) all signed juicy contracts.

The signings the Cubs completed this winter may be only the beginning because they have too many problems to fix. For example, they decided not to re-sign Willson Contreras, which meant the team must find another catcher to join Yan Gomes. Furthermore, Matt Mervis may be the Cubs' first option on the first base, but they will need a backup plan if things go south with the 24-year-old prospect.

The Cubs can use another star to shore up their pitching rotations too and they will need to move quickly before all the good ones on the market are booked.