Cubs' Updated Lineup, Payroll After Reported Dansby Swanson $177M contract

A new baseman for the Cubs.

A seven-year, $177 million contract was reportedly signed by the team on Saturday.

The Cubs had a projected tax payroll before the move. Assuming an average annual value of $25.3 million, his signing should move that figure to an estimated $202 million

It will bolster the Cubs lineup and solidify the shortstop position for a long time. There is a look at what that unit might look like in the future.

1. Dansby Swanson, SS
2. Seiya Suzuki, RF
3. Cody Bellinger, CF
4. Patrick Wisdom, 3B
5. Nico Hoerner, 2B
6. Ian Happ, LF
7. Matt Mervis, 1B
8. Christopher Morel, DH
9. Yan Gomes, C

In baseball, the Cubs finished 17th in homers, 22nd in runs, and 19th in batting average, but the additions of Bellinger and Swanson will change that.

They hit 44 homers and added more than 200 runs last year. Bellinger has hit 25 or more homers three times in his career but his power has waned in recent seasons.

Maybe a change in scenery will make him happy. A Cubs lineup that was a question mark heading into the winter will look better if that happens. The Cubs are going to be very stable up the middle because of the excellent defensive play of Swanson.

The city got better Saturday.