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When the Cubs charted a winning future during their stretch without a playoff appearance, they spent $177 million on Dansby Swanson to be the center of the next contender at Wrigley Field.
Thursday, they found out you get what you pay for.
Swanson was sensational in the wild-card series, delivering with the consistently excellent defense that made him a two-time Gold Glover. After making a pair of run-saving plays in the Cubs’ Game 1 win Tuesday, he returned with a spate of robberies to preserve a narrow advantage in the 3-1 Game 3 victory that punched the Cubs’ ticket to the NLDS.