Yankees acquire Swisher from White Sox
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Nov 13, 2008 
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This release from the Yankees
YANKEES ACQUIRE 1B/OF NICK SWISHER AND RHP KANEKOA TEXEIRA FROM THE WHITE SOX IN EXCHANGE FOR INF WILSON BETEMIT AND TWO MINOR LEAGUE PITCHERS
The New York Yankees announced today that they have acquired switch-hitting first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher and right-handed pitcher Kanekoa Texeira from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for infielder Wilson Betemit and right-handed pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez.
Swisher, 27, batted .219 (109-for-497) with 86 runs, 21 doubles, 24 home runs and 69 RBI in 153 games with the White Sox in 2008, leading all American League switch-hitters in home runs and ranking second in RBI. He made 69 starts in center field, 47 starts at first base, 16 starts in left field and 11 starts in right field, combining for a .990 fielding percentage (7E, 675TC), including a .996 mark at first base (2E, 481TC).
The Oakland Athletics’ first pick (16th overall) in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Swisher has appeared in 611 career games, batting .244 with 117 doubles, 104 home runs and 324 RBI. Since 2005, his 334 walks are tied for third-most in the American League while his 102 homers are the fourth-most among Major League switch-hitters. He has also recorded at least 20 doubles and 20 homers in each of the last four seasons. Swisher was acquired by Chicago on January 3, 2008, in exchange for left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez, right-handed pitcher Fautino De Los Santos and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.
“We’re excited with the addition of Nick Swisher,†said Yankees Manager Joe Girardi. “We feel he has a ton of upside. He’s a patient switch-hitter, adds versatility at a number of defensive positions, including first base and the outfield, and will be a positive presence inside the clubhouse.â€
Texeira, 22, was 6-3 with 21 saves and a 1.33 ERA in 51 combined relief appearances with Single-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, ranking second among White Sox minor leaguers in saves. He was selected as a Carolina League mid- and postseason All-Star, posting a 3-1 record and a 0.93 ERA with Winston-Salem, while recording 20 saves in 23 opportunities. Over his final 22 appearances with the Single-A club (23.1IP), he did not allow an earned run and held opponents to a .176 batting average (15-for-85).
A native of Maui, Hawai’i, he was originally selected by the White Sox in the 22nd round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and entered 2008 with the organization’s best slider, according to Baseball America. In 113 career minor league appearances, he has a 12-7 record with 40 saves and a 2.24 ERA, striking out 149 batters in 144.1IP.
Betemit hit .265 (50-for-189) with 13 doubles, 6 home runs and 25 RBI in 87 games with the Yankees in 2008, making starts at all four infield positions. He was acquired by the Yankees from the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, 2007, in exchange for right-handed pitcher Scott Proctor.
Marquez was 8-8 with a 4.47 ERA in 19 combined games (18 starts) with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the GCL Yankees and Double-A Trenton in 2008, missing nearly two months (June 19 – August 12) with a right shoulder strain. Selected by the Yankees in Compensation Round A (41st overall) of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Marquez led Yankees farmhands in wins (15) and innings pitched (155.1) in 2007 while with Trenton, and owns a career record of 43-40 with a 3.60 ERA.
Nunez, acquired at the 2008 trading deadline from the Washington Nationals in exchange for infielder Alberto Gonzalez, owns a 21-18 record with a 3.26 ERA in 93 career minor league games (64 starts). He appeared in eight games with Double-A Trenton following the acquisition, going 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA and striking out 26 batters in 19.1IP.
Horrible trade. This is what we have to look forward to this offseason??
I like this trade. I am also a wonderful dancer.
A great trade by acquiring somebody that was traded to them while their value is low.
If we got him to play CF, then we are in excellent shape.
I am not comfortable with Swisher, Nady, and Gardner in the same lineup, that is very weak.
Amazing trade for the Yankees!!!
First of many good moves to come for us this offseason!
All I have to say about this move is that it better be to upgrade our bench. I don’t wan to hear for one second that this is the answer for Firstbase thus taking us out of the Teixeira market. This guy is a horrible defender.
I love this trade. Swisher offers so much versatility and a better option than Betemit.
Is this Sabathia insurance?
Great trade if you consider we gave up nothing.
nice trade, nick is a warrior, we need this type of players
Let’s hope this wasn’t Cashman’s way of getting a first basemen and a Tex…
WOW! Pretty good move by Cash buying low. Hopefully last season was just an aberration for Swisher. I sure hope that this doesn’t take us out of the Tex sweepstakes though…
What an unbelievable steal for the Yankees.
Trade one horrible hitting first baseball for another
and give away jeff marquez
So it looks like Nick Swisher will be our first baseman next year….wow
Do the White Sox know they’re getting Betemit in this deal?
Bob–
I am curious why you think it is so bad. We don’t have to see Wilson Betemit anymore. IN my opinion that in itself makes it a good deal. Nick Swisher is not a superstar but certainly fills a role. In terms of the minor league parts of the deal, who knows how that will turn out but Marquez clearly slipped on the totem pole with the rise of some of the other players and Nunez was here for a short time and all we had to give up for him Was Gonzalez.
Yankees will still sign Tex.
any scouting reports on that prospect?
I personally think this is a great trade.
Considering the exchange of prospects has virtually 0 net gain or loss, we basically replace betemit with swisher, a MUCH better player with MUCH more upside.
And Swisher fills some significant holes:
1) Plays 1B, LF, CF, RF
2) Patient hitter
3) Clutch
4) Young
5) Energetic
6) Large upside.
Well done, Cash. The offseason is going great so far.
Betemit is gone? oh shoot…wow! my day is getting better!
Marquez is going to be a very good pitcher, and now we are out of the tex sweepstakes? Color me unimpressed
Read the tea leaves guys…..Swisher is our 1B. His signing would lower any Tex $$, so if we sign Tex….Swisher goes to CF/RF. If we dont sign Tex, Swish is our 1B.
Great trade. Now they have a young switch hitting established big leaguer who can play many positions…especially 1B..I like it a lot
The best thing about Swisher…
He is a FANTASTIC clubhouse guy. He is like the energizer Bunny in the dugout.
Great trade. Now they have a young switch hitting established big leaguer who can play many positions…especially 1B..I like it a lot
ALLRIGHT!! We got Texeira! Wait a minute… Oh never mind. Whose next, D.D. Sabathia?
My question is where does he end up. Does this mean another trade in the works to open up space in a congested outfield. Does he slot at first forgoing a run at Texiera?
Thats an absolute STEAL for the Yankees. Betemit, Marquez and Nunez held no value for the Yanks. Cash really did a great job here.
Swisher is the starting 1B. The Yanks could do a LOT worse. He’s an average fielder which is already an upgrade defensively. He fits in with the offensive mindset of the club; takes a lot of walks and can hit the long ball. Last year was clearly an outlier compared to the rest of his career. Plus he’s under 30 and has a team friendly contract.
Very good deal.
Great knee jerk reaction. Too bad you are wrong.
Go back and look up Scott Brosius’ numbers the year prior to the Yankees acquiring him. They were worse than Swisher’s.
He turned out “okay”, didn’t he?
They got a guy who fits what they are trying to get back to. A grinder, who can play first and the OF (I think he will play first in NY), takes a lot of pitches, is good defensively, and they are hoping he bounces back in 2009.
Similar philosophy to when they acquired Brosius.
They didn’t give up anybody of substance in the deal. They also got back a kid (Teixiera) with a pretty decent arm in return.
It will be interesting to see where they start him next year. He will probably start in Trenton but, I have a feeling he will be in AAA by June.
Our bench was horrible last season, this was a move to improve it.
Snap judgments are a wonderful thing
The deal’s one upside is that Betemit is gone. I wonder if the White Sox know that he’s a switch hitter who can’t hit from the Right side. LOL!
The downside will be if we are letting Tex go in favor of Swisher. That will be very depressing.
Well done Mr Cashman. Swisher is coming off a bad year and there are whispers that his previous success may have been augmented with peds.Regardless, they acquired an above average on base percentage switch hitter that is adequate defensively at 4 positions.
Wilson Betemit is a below average on base percentage hitter and a defensive liability everywhere on the field.
Not sure I get this trade on the field, however, I LOVE having his personality in the clubhouse.
We need a team that enjoys playing together. Swisher will hopefully do that.
nunez was the best player, we gave up
Swisher – .219 average, 30% K rate
Gardner – .240 average, .290 OBP, 120+ Ks (projected)
Nady – .280 avg, .320 OBP, 120+ Ks
Is Cashman trying to turn us into the Washington Nationals?
jeff marquez=jake westbrook
Swisher is bound to have a bounce-back year. His BABIP last year was an extremely unlucky .251 (vs. .279) career. He still gets his walks, doubles, and decent HR totals. Look for him to have a better year this year than last.
Swisher for Betemit is one heck of a deal.
Knee jerkers,
this is a good trade, not only from picking up Swisher whose value was low but has upside but it also frees up a 40 man roster space. Marquez was never going to be important for the Yankees. He was clearly a low value trade chip.
We traded excess to meet shortage. Stop being cry babies.
Very one-sided trade to get an established, versatile major leaguer for three spare parts. Marquez is not very good. He is a poor man’s Darryl Rasner at best. Hopefully Swisher can become a mega utility guy or get into the mix in CF. There’s no reason for this move to take th eYanks out of the Teixiera sweepstakes. It does give the Yanks a useful asset for virtually nothing and that’s always a good thing.
Wait, we got Swisher AND got rid of Betemit in the same deal? And some people are complaining about this because….?
Swisher will be the opening day center fielder. Great trade, now lets sign CC!!
“Our bench was horrible last season, this was a move to improve it.”
How’s Swisher going to improve the bench playing 1B most everyday? Only way this deal improved the bench was removing Wilson Betimit from it.
Laura –
Another year, another inadequate 1st baseman. It’s the Yankee way.
Horns are honking in midtown Manhattan . . . . Betemit is gone.
Look for Yanks to pick up a good utility man to compliment Swisher.
Yeah Jeff Marquez is such a sure thing to be a great pitcher, I’d color you overly assumptive among coloring you a naysayer just for the heck of it, Bob. This deal improves the MLB club without hurting the farm system at all–look at the Yankees’ prospect list, you don’t even see Marquez sniffing the top prospect echelon anymore with the emergence of others. He is the perfect kind of guy to trade for someone like Swisher.
I look at this deal in the same way as I looked at the Brosius deal. Brosius hit .203 the previous year, came to NY, got fixed offensively, and was a fixture on championship teams.
Swisher is a guy that Kevin Long can fix. He’s a pretty solid player. A guy that contributes to winning games.
He didn’t hit for average this season yet, hit some big HR’s to win games for the White Sox during the course of the season.
He’s also a decent first baseman. A helluva lot better defensively than Giambi.
His makeup? Off the charts. The kind of guy that other players like playing with, an important part of putting together a team.
If Long fixes him, and he bounces back offensively, he’s going to win games for the Yankees.
Its a no lose deal. They gave up nothing of substance and got the best player in return in the entire deal.
You guys are complaining about this? Swisher a perfect fit for this offense. He’s athletic enough for center, 27 years old, a switch-hitter and pretty cheap. Marquez was, with the amount of pitching talent we have, a prime trade chip, and Cashman just got a very good baseball player for him. Last year was an outlier. He managed a .330 OBP with a .220 batting average. That’s impressive.
If he plays first, he’s cheaper than Tex, the best fielder we’ve had since Tino, and a very good hitter for his career. And he’s young. The most underrated need for this team is younger offensive players. Cano, assuming he doesn’t stay horrible, is the only regular under 29.
I liked Betemit’s potential, but he’s never been much of a player for us. So we gave up something that most people on the board wanted gone, a few middling prospects, and got a very good player at the low point of his value.
That’s outstanding work by Cashman.
Only acceptable if Swisher is in CF, he is not good anywhere else (value wise).
A steal if hes for CF, if not, then meh…
Fredo, I’d take the Red Sox lineup with Pedroia, Ellsbury, Youklis, Bay, Ortiz and Lowell to the Yankees’ lineup any day.
The White Sox have Quentin, Dye, Konerko, Thome, and Alexei Ramirez.
I’ll take Detroit’s lineup of Granderson, Polanco, Cabrera, Orodonez, if they don’t trade him, and Guillen and Thames, as well.
Let’s keep in mind, the Yankees LOST BOTH THEIR 3 and 5 HITTER and plan to replace them with TWO GUYS RETURING FROM INJURY.
You really think a 36-year recovering from labrum surgery is going magically to regain his power the very first year back. Come on.
************************************************************
There better be, Reacher. I only hope you’re right.
SJ44, I don’t mind the Swisher move, if they upgraded the offense either in RF or in CF.
DO we all forget so easily how poorly the Yankees lineup performed last year. And rather than improve it, they’ve made it worse.
They lose their two best OPS guys in Mustache and Bobby and replace them with two injured guys and two guys that don’t hit.
Swisher’s fine if Gardner isn’t in CF and they upgrade Nady in RF. Otherwise, it’s more Cashman arrogance and presumption at work.
So wait…according to this deal, we get a Texeira after all…
Oh delicious irony.
Love the move by Cash. Great buy low opportunity on a guy who has upside and fits into our model ball player – grinder, walks, has pop, can play multiple positions.
And, who’s to say this puts us out of the Tex sweepstakes. It’s always possible we sign him then deal Nady to open up an Outfield spot for Swisher. Or put Nady/Swisher/Damon/Gardner into a platoon situation between the OF spots.
“Swisher will be the opening day center fielder. Great trade, now lets sign CC!!”
No I think he’s the starting 1B
Not a bad trade if he is used as a bench guy… BAD TRADE IF HE IS THE STARTING FIRSTBASEMAN…. STRIKES OUT LIKE MAD
All of you ripping this deal are morons. Seriously.
We got a career .800 OPS guy just now entering his prime for essentially NOTHING. Betemit is useless, Nunez is okay but Texeira is at least as good. Marquez is decent but probably is going to end up being a middle reliever in the majors.
Great trade! I love the CASH-MAN… He found a way to get a viable part for Betemit….BETEMIT!!
Good deal overall, I would say. Not hugely impactful, but the Yankees look to have gotten the better of the deal.
“How’s Swisher going to improve the bench playing 1B most everyday? Only way this deal improved the bench was removing Wilson Betimit from it.”
And how do you know he’s playing first base most everyday? I believe he was picked up as a utility player.
“Do the White Sox know they’re getting Betemit in this deal?”
That made me laugh out loud.
Great move by Cashmoney. At the very least he acquired a great clubhouse guy with a lot of energy. Also, my guess is Pete loves this move b/c Swish seems like a great go-to-guy when you need a story.
You are an idiot if you think this takes us out of the Tex sweepstakes. It’s adding an extremely versatile, young, patient hitter who can play many positions that can platoon IF we don’t get Tex.
He can also play Center field.
This trade is excellent – absolutely excellent.
The most underrated aspect of the deal -
The chemistry he will bring. Always the first guy on the top step of the dugout, has this funny handshake thing, and is a vocal guy.
Excellent move.
Hey Rodg12 does that represent your age ??? cuz only a 12 yr old would think keeping Swisher over Nady is a good move.. PLEASE… Nady is the kind of hitter this team needs…
You know what is really funny the video playing on Yankees.com right now is a little bit about some of the Yankees in the AFL and a bit about Marquez
**No I think he’s the starting 1B**
or probably bench, depending on how the free agent signing goes.
Swisher has played more than 100 games at each of the OF positions AND 200+ at 1B. He also has a solid .825 as a RH hitter. Last year was a huge dropoff for him, but if he returns to his 2007 level (.381 OBP, .455 SLG)he would be a positive addition.
that means no Mark texira
I think Cody Ransom is definitely our middle fielder utilty. Ransom should had made the team since day 1 over Betemit.
Kevin Long will have a field day with Swisher.
A switch hitter with power and high OBP.
SJ44, when Brosius arrived here he WAS THE 9TH HITTER.
The Yankees batting order was Knobby, Jeter, O’Neil, Bernie, Ban-Tino, Posada, LF, Brosius.
And don’t forget, in 1999 and 200, Brosius returned to his former self and hit .247 and .230 with a .300 OBA.
C.C. Sabathia will be introduced at a Stadium press conference before Thanksgiving Day and flanked by the Steinbrenners, Cashman, and Girardi.
“Marquez is not very good. He is a poor man’s Darryl Rasner at best. ”
I wouldn’t go that far..
Everyone keeps saying “the lineup is terrible with Swisher/Garnder/Nady”. Who’s to say Cashman doesn’t upgrade RF or CF? The offseason literally just started. I’m fine with Nady and Swisher being regulars in the lineup. Gardner might not be good enough though…
Jesus, some of you guys are hard to please, and really bitter people. You guys want all stars at every position, and clearly that does not win championships. I like the move, its a cheap upgrade. Tough crowd to please.
That we got him for nothing, means nothing has changed in the 1B or centerfield situation, except that we got great insurance for both.
No-one said this means we can’t/won’t still go after the real Tex for 1B. It DOES mean, we’re not desperate for a 1B anymore, and can have at least a little leverage in those negotiations.
–All of you ripping this deal are morons. Seriously.
Patrick, is it necessary to revert to name calling? You should know that the people who are complaining about the deal are just disappointed because it looks like we won’t sign Tex, who many here had their hearts set on. I live in Chicago and have many friends who are WS fans. I remember Swisher from his OAK days. I don’t know where that guy went, but he was definitely not playing for the WS. Maybe he just had a bad year. We’ll see. I still say that we should have used part of that 90mil coming off of the books to get Tex. That doesn’t make me a moron; just a disappointed NYY fan.
“And how do you know he’s playing first base most everyday? I believe he was picked up as a utility player.”
Even the Yankees don’t add $22 million dollar utility players, RIB. Swisher is signed for $22M over three years. He’s playing. He’s not a very good outfielder and he’s a good 1B. That’s probably where he ends up on a daily basis.
want to hear irony?
nick swisher was the oakland A’s compensation pick for the yanks signing giambi back in 02
look it up!
No one has mentioned this but it is vital – the Yankees cleared potentially three spots on their 40 man roster and added one. This goes a long way in allowing them to protect a couple of extra guys for Rule 5 draft.
Similar to Marte – I do not think the Swisher money precluded the Yanks from any other moves.
Chris and Patrick making WAY too much sense here. lol
KS,
Their offense stunk last year for a variety of reasons.
A healthy Jeter, a full season of Arod and full season’s of Matsui and Posada more than makeup losing Giambi and/or Abreu.
The idea isn’t to have an all star at every position. How has that worked out the past 7 years?
Its to put together a team. Swisher is a guy that can do multiple things.
Also, his BA was an aberration last year. Got into some bad habits at the plate and the White Sox hitting instructor is not very good.
I think Kevin Long can fix this guy and he’s the kind of guy I want on this team.
He bounces back and, as others have stated, they have an under-30 first baseman making under 10 million a season.
He’s a good value addition to the team.
The question in my mind is if the Yankees just view Nick as an upgrade to Betemit or as an everyday player. Either way, he is a welcome addition to the team. Marquez was not going to have a shot with the Yankees and Betemit is replaceable.
Scott Brosius had a 21.3 % K rate before being a Yankee ummm yeah he turned out well didn’t he ?
http://www.fangraphs.com/stats.....osition=3B
To clear things up:
Ozzie Guillen really screw up Nick Swisher this past season. He was **definitely** misused. He wasn’t a leadoff hitter, or meant to bat in the 2 hole. He was batting in either of those places through midseason where Ozzie finally realized he wasn’t meant to be there.
Exactly Fredo, precisely my objection.
Don’t understand the trade in terms of value received vs. value given up. Marquez has a power arm with great sinker to go along with it. Nunez also has a power arm with 93-94 fastball and some upside. The pitcher coming back to the Yankees is not even on Chisox’s top 30 prospects. Nick is an over weight all or nothing type of hitter.
Are people really complaining about getting a young, switch hitter with some power who can play multiple positions and add a little fire to the clubhouse? Nobody said he’s a starting anything yet.
Think of this as the 1st piece of the puzzle, not the last. There will be better moves for you to hate before March, so pace yourselves.
So Swisher will be a switch-hitting, utility-man, “good for the bench” kind of guy. Like a Soho.
I’ll take that over Wilson any day.
Its crazy to hear how people are thinking he’s going to be on 1st FULL-TIME!
I’m trisha and I approve of this message!
Good for us. And we got Tex! Just not the one some people were jonesing for.
Love it. If Swisher can play a good 1B, hip hip hooray.
Trading Marquez is eh, but at least it’s not Kennedy or Hughes.
Now getting rid of Betemit was the greatest news I’ve heard this off-season so far (other than “Peavy doesn’t want to come to NY”). When you can trade Betemit, you’re getting something for nothing. Swisher adds power and versatility off the bench.
I think this is a very good trade….only if Cashman doesn’t think “this is our 1B solution”
Of course we still need a Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia. Come on Cash, our off-season’s not done!
Am I the only one amused that the pitcher we got is named Texeira?
He’s the starting first baseman if they don’t acquire Tex.
He is leverage with Boras so he doesn’t go overboard trying to push Tex on the Yankees.
If Tex wants to be a Yankee, they will sign him.
They WON’T sign him to a 10 year, 200 million dollar contracct.
The ball is in Tex’s court. If he wants to be a Yankee, they will make a deal with him.
If they do, Swisher is the CF next year.
If they don’t, he’s the first baseman.
What this does is prevent them from being left WITHOUT a first baseman.
Precisely what you do prior to enterting a negotiation with Boras over a player. This way, you aren’t left holding the bag.
–The idea isn’t to have an all star at every position. How has that worked out the past 7 years?
SJ, it’s not about having an All Star at every position. It’s about having the best guy *available* at that position. This year, the best 1B *available* is Texeira. We should have signed him. Swisher is a good guy in the clubhouse and all of those other wonderful things that people have said about him. But the fact remains that he’s not as good as Texeira.
Maybe Swisher will bring along his old bud from Oakland, Milton Bradley. Another high OBP guy who I’m sure most of you remember his handshake with Swisher. Bradley is also a switch hitting guy who won’t cost as much as Abreu.
Housecleaning yet again in Florida. The Marlins deal their closer Kevin Gregg to the Cubs.
great trade…
can’t keep up with these comments/updates though…
Very cagey move by Cashman. Bought low on Swisher who is likely due for a bounce back year, and is a definite improvement defensively at first.
He’s not Teixiera. But considering the Yankees gave up three players of little or no value for him and got a promising young arm along with Swisher to boot, I don’t know how anyone couldn’t like this deal.
Rebecca,
you not the only one. lol
This is a great deal.
1. We have question marks in CF and 1B. Swisher can play both positions.
2. Swisher’s contract is team friendly.
3. Even in a bad BA year, Swisher still showed he could get on base and hit for power.
4. We gave up Marquez, Nunez (honestly, had you ever heard of him before?), and Betemit for him. No one should be upset about losing any of these players.
5. Absolutely nothing about this trade blocks us from getting Teixeira. If we sign Teixeira, Swisher will still get plenty of playing time in our creaky old outfield. Plus, this deal makes life without Teixeira a lot less painful.
6. We also got a 22-year old relief prospect with filthy stuff.
If you doubt whether the Yankees did well in this deal, go to any neutral trade discussion site and see what people are saying.
Marquez is nothing more than a middle reliever in the AL. I’ve seen him pitch many times. he was never going to pitch for the Yanks. In reality this trade is betemit for Swisher. If you think of it in that fashio it’s an absolute laugher in the Yanks favor.
$6M’s a bit much for a bench guy.
But it doesn’t mean we won’t get Tex. But it does mean that we won’t be signing Tex to a ridiculous contract.
If Tex wants to come, he’s probably more than welcome to. But it’ll be on the Yankee’s terms.
Swisher has lots of “upside”. So do Gardner and Cano. We just all need to get on the same page.
You really think Matsui and Posada are going to return to their former selves?
Posada turns 37 in August and just had labrum surgery. Don’t ya think that’s going to sap his power just a little?
And Godzilla turns 35 in June and has had injury-abbreviated seasons two of the last three years and is returning from TWO knee surgeries?
Swisher reminds you of Brosius, eh?
You what relying on Swisher, Gardner, Matsui, and Posada reminds ME of— it reminds of me the Yankees starting rotation entering the 2008 season.
I don’t think the Yankees need an All-Star everywhere but if you let your two highest OPS guys leave, you better replace them with ONE player guaranteed to match one or the other.
“Even the Yankees don’t add $22 million dollar utility players, RIB. Swisher is signed for $22M over three years. He’s playing. He’s not a very good outfielder and he’s a good 1B. That’s probably where he ends up on a daily basis.”
Talk to me after Texiera is signed, some of you guys are too full of yourselfs. Opinions are like..
Some of you just need to chill out on what this trade “means”. If you project it to mean no Mark Teixiera and Swisher as a full-time 1B then I wouldn’t be too happy either. But the guy is potentially a HUGE upgrade for the bench or CF. That increases your assets to look into trade possibilities as well.
Marquez had a 4.69 ERA in Scranton and will be 25 next year. He doesn’t strike anyone out. He will not be missed.
There’s moving parts to all this. Melky could be expendable. If Miranda impresses in spring training, Swisher and Gardner could flip-flop in CF and Miranda and Swisher at 1st base.
As stated above, if we got Swisher to play 1B, this deal blows. I do not care who we are trading, I care that we are NOT getting the Teixeira we want. Tex would set us up for YEARS at first, a gold glove fielding young switch hitting STUD. If Swisher plays center and Tex plays first, then color me thrilled! I guess we will have to wait and see
I am so sad.
I won’t have Wilson to pick on anymore. No more joking about the ungodly amount of strike outs.
I don’t get how people are blowing up about how the Yanks are out of the Tex market, Free agents can’t be signed until tomorrow, so back away from the ledge… slowly.. take a deep breath.. it’s going to be ok..
even tho i hate Jim Rome:
“If someone told Paul O’Neill he had the heart of a poet, he would probably punch them in the mouth”
KS,
Under that theory, what makes you think Giambi and Abreu will have good season’s next year.
Its the START of the winter, not the end.
All this means is, they probably aren’t looking to tie up 200 million on Tex.
If they are going to revamp their starting rotation, which is the plan, then they are going to make deals like this to shore up other areas.
If Kevin Long gets this guy back to his former self, he’s a very solid addition to the team. Sees a lot of pitches, high OBP, has pop.
If he plays everyday, he hits between 25-30 HR’s because he will play in more hitter friendly ballparks in the AL East.
The guy is a solid player. He’s not an all star but, he’s solid.
They smooth out the rough edges on his stroke, he will win games for them.
Do I think Posada and Matsui can return to their past performances? Yes I do.
Matsui had minor knee surgery. Prior to hurting his knee, he was hitting the cover off the ball.
Posada? The one benefit the surgery has is it allows him to hit without pain anymore.
Even if it takes his arm longer to bounce back in order to catch, the surgery is not going to hamper his offense.
In fact, it will be the first time in about 3 years he will be able to swing the bat pain free.
http://minors.baseball-referen.....?pid=31023
I really like the deal, though I would have preferred to hang onto Nunez, I’m glad to see the Yanks getting back to the patience and pop approach to adding guys. Giambi and Abreu are taking a lot of walks with them, it’s good that we’ve already brought some back.
Amen SJ…. I don’t expect the Yanks to do 10 years with Tex, but I don’t think anyone else will either.
Im all for this trade.
Add
89 to b.a.
52 to r.b.i.
15 to walks
9 h.r.
And you have yourself a cheaper version of Tex!! Not bad.
They got the wrong Texeira!
I think Cashman got Swisher for insurance reasons just in case they do not get Tex. That’s my take.
Let me just say that the free-agent signing period has not even begun.
C’mon, give C-Money a break.
Free agent signing period hasn’t even begun, and we’ve already:
1) Traded for a stellar player
2) Resigned a dominant lefty reliever for 3-4 years
3) Revamped the coaching staff.
Be patient, and the team will fall into place nicely. They know what they’re doing out there.
Swisher can definitely be 1B insurance. He is also now the best CF on the roster and can spell any other OF position. He’s a good ballplayer and an excellent pickup. The swap of young prospects could go either way, but there was no chance of Marquez or Betemit helping the Yanks in ’09.
This was a great move. At best, we just upgraded our bench. At worst, we got a decent 1b. Besides investing 200m/10 years for Texeira (or whatever crazy amount Boras is asking for) what other 1b options are there?
It is foolish to slam this deal. It was an excellent one for the Yanks.
You can criticize Swisher for strikeouts, but he has a good .OBP, which means more. And, he hits homeruns. And he plays a good-enough first base. What more do you need to know?
PEDS? Swisher hit 24 homeruns last year, which is about average for him. If he was on PEDs in the past, they didn’t make a whole lot of difference, apparently. And, Swisher can run a bit, and he’s a decent corner OF (I wouldn’t want to see him in CF, but he doesn’t embarrass himself there, either).
I like it. I don’t think we can get both Sabathia AND Texieria, so maybe they know something we don’t? Just speculation
Good trade but if this is it for the off season then im pissed. Swish is good but he hits for a bad average and is no texiera.
Hell of a deal. Swisher for Betemit?? Amazing.
This deal looks like either a great bench move, or insurance for center and first. I don’t love his numbers as a first baseman, but I would take that in a center fielder any day. We got spoiled with Bernie out there. Its also exciting to see someone with that kind of athleticism in the team. First or center is an unusual combo.
I don’t see how this deal takes the Yankees out of the Tex free for all. It does protect them from a potential let down if some one offers him something crazy. I like him as much as any one, but to hear some folks on here go on about him you’d think he was divine. He isn’t Pujols.
This fascination with Giambi’s OPS is getting old. If the problem with last year’s offense was RISP then Giambi was the biggest culprit. Arod and Jeter managed to hit in those situations, Giambi didn’t. Having the #5 hitter content to walk with runners on is weaksauce. Put the ball in play.
It is so funny about white sox. However I agree that Yankees should acquire it. Anyway, the fascination with Giambi’s OPS is really getting old. The update is imporant.