Off The Mark: Yankees Acquire Swisher

According to ESPN.com, the Yankees have acquired Nick Swisher from the Chicago White Sox.  In return the Yankees will send Jeff Marquez to the Chicago White Sox.  Swisher is versatile, he can play all three outfield positions and first base.  He adds some personality and life to this very business like, dare I say stuffy team.  Swisher had his best seasons in 2006 and 2007 while in Oakland.  If I had to guess the Yankees picked him up to play first base and will now back out of the Teixeira sweepstakes.  It is unknown if there are other pieces to this trade.   

Comments

[krueg]

I like the deal...he's got Johnny's personality and some power. I hope he isn't a piece for another trade because as John said if he plays first, we can focus all the loot on pitching.

Anyone know how well he plays first?

[Sam-YF]

Yanks also "give up" Betemit in this deal. Hard not to like this one. Seems like its good bye to Abreu....
Hopefully Swish can pick up is avg a bit but he is an OBP machine entering his prime years as a hitter and is only 2 years removed from a monster season.

[John - YF]

In 71 games at 1B last season he made 2 errors.

In total in 229 games at 1B he has 10 errors.

[John - YF]

Ok the Yankees also gave up Betemit (Thank You Jesus!), Jhony Nunez and Marquez. They get Swisher and Texiera in return...no not Mark!

[Paul SF]

If I had to guess the Yankees picked him up to play first base and will now back out of the Teixeira sweepstakes.

God, I hope so. Now all we need is for the Angels to mean it when they give Teixeira their lowball offer and say they will quickly move on once he rejects it...

[Sam-YF]

"If I had to guess the Yankees picked him up to play first base and will now back out of the Teixeira sweepstakes."

I dont think this is true at all, I think it just gives the yankees a solid back up plan at 1b should they not win in the bidding. If they do get Tex they simply move Swisher to RF where they also have a hole to fill. In fact, this could be interpreted the opposite if you wish as they are filling their RF need cheaply (compared with say Abreu) giving them more money to spend on Tex and CC if they want. One think Im sure about is the yanks have a plan here...

[John - YF]

Where is Nady going to play Sam?

[Sam-YF]

ah yes Nady, totally forgot about him! Can always move Damon to CF if need be. Considering Damon and Matsui are health question marks at this point I dont mind hedging our bets here.
I just cant believe the yanks are gonna let a guy like tex go without some serious interest. We'll see.

[John - YF]

I could see your point if you were saying CF, but I am fairly certain Nady isn't a FA until next season.

[John - YF]

You could be right Sam, Swisher can play CF, he's not Torii Hunter, but he's also no Johnny Damon. Who knows? All I know is that I am psyched to have gotten rid of Betemit and picked up Swisher.

[Paul SF]

Damon in center field? That'll be fun for a full season. The Yankees do seem to be building depth at a cluster of positions where they've had problems staying healthy -- definitely a plus.

Swisher can definitely take a walk, but it's hard to be an "on-base machine" when walking is pretty much all you do. He's certainly a drop down from Abreu, even assuming Abreu were to decline some in his age 39 season.

[Brownie]

As long as they don't try to play him in Center on a regular basis, I'd say this is a steal for the Yankees.

[John - YF]

I don't think Damon will be in CF. I truly feel they will open the season with Gardner out there. He's a Girardi guy, he's cheap, he's on the roster and he plays good defense. He's a stop gap until AJax is ready. I would be psyched with this:

C: Posada/Molina
1B: Swisher
2B: Cano
3B: Alex
SS: DJ
LF: Damon
CF: Gardner
RF: Nady
DH: Matsui

OR

Trade Matsui and resign Abreu. Either way, I am really happy with both.

[Sam-YF]

Re: OBP
It really depends which Swisher shows up. He was up near .380 for the two seasons prior to 2008 in a very hitter unfriendly ballaprk. His pre-2008 levels certainly were similar to Abreu's current ones. Last year could be an aberration or the real deal, time will tell. At age 28, I like his chances to bounce back.
I dont think Swisher is the solution to the yankees offensive problems but he is a good piece to help fix them and yes John CF is a real possibility for him. The fact there is even a discussion of where he can/will play is the beauty of this acquisition. The added flexibility this early in the off-season goes a long way. If Boras' demands are insane for Tex, the yanks can walk away without needing to grab a 1b from the terrible pool of remaining options out there. In this sense, the Sox are sitting in a similar position with Lowell/Youkilis.

[John - YF]

No argument from me Sam. I am a Swisher fan, I don't care where he plays, just that he's on our team. The skill set is there, who knows what he ends up being in Pinstripes, but the skill set is definitely there. He's a smart player, he plays hard all the time and he brings some personality to this team. I am psyched.

[Paul SF]

Bill James projection for Swisher '09: .240/.359/.451, 23 HR, 80 BB, 122 K
vs. Abreu '09: .286/.389/.455, 19 HR, 98 BB, 125 K

Swisher of course has to be a better defender in right, and provides much more versatility, probably enough to make up for the projected 34-point OPS gap. You just have to hope Swisher's 2008 line was more BABIP than turning point.

[John - YF]

Baseball Prospectus (for 2009) has him at:

.265/.379/.511 with 28 HR's 82 BB's 85 RBI

[walein]

Hopefully BP is more correct than James. I'm a big fan of this trade.

[Lar]

This trade itself it's hard to find flaws with. I still want to be greedy and want Tex though.

[Brad]

I see this as a nice bench move, and not much more. I really think that Tex and CC are going to go to NY, so Swisher is not a full time player in that scenario. Not with Damon, Matsui, and Nady. There may be some kind of OF platoon, but this is a good move no matter what for the Yanks. If they don't get Tex, they can play him at first everyday, and if they do, they can give that OF a day off everyday or so and just have a rotating DH spot.

[John - YF]

This from Pete Abe:

"Swisher is not here to play CF. Cashman made that clear. He’s here to play 1B. Cashman did not close the door to anything else happening (he never does), but it’s pretty evident that they see Swisher playing 1B and having the ability to play LF or RF on occasion. That would enable them to keep Jorge Posada in the lineup once in a while as the 1B."

[Brad]

But, if this is Cashman's answer to first base, and has no plans on going after Tex, this is not a good solution. Swisher is a marginal player, so I don't see that as Cashman's plan at all: I really think he's going to use Swisher for what he's good for -a fill-in and versitile player who can play a lot of positions average, but none of the great.
The next few weeks are going to be good. If cashman gets Tex, and Swisher is on the bench/rotating positions the lineup looks very nice for NY.

[John - YF]

To Brad from Pete Abe:

"He’s their 1B, folks. They didn’t pick up a $22 million bench guy."

[John - YF]

There's audio over at LoHud of Cashman Brad. Now I don't doubt there are still IN on Tex, I just think the drastic NEED for Tex is now gone. He's a want, not a need. I don't think Swisher is "Marginal" as you said. I think a lot of Swisher's poor performance could be the lineup he hit in and where he hit. Get him behind some of these Yankee big guns and you may see the true Swisher.

[Nick-YF]

Why are we taking Cashman's word at face value right now. One thing that is certain about this move is that it enables the Yanks to be a lot more flexible with their plans for the off-season. I still don't think this eliminates them from the Tex sweepstakes, for instance.

[John - YF]

I don't see where I said either of those things Nick? Like I said "Now I don't doubt there are still IN on Tex, I just think the drastic NEED for Tex is now gone." I am sure Cashman is saying some of this partly as a message to Tex and his agent, but there is no longer a hole at 1B and that's a big deal for the Yankees and for Tex's financial future.

[Nick-YF]

I was more responding to your first post. We cross-posted for the other one. Sorry about that. By bench player, I'm assuming Brad meant more of a utility player who basically gets in almost every day. I can see a player such as Swisher being particularly valuable to a team with as many veteran players as the Yanks.

[Sam-YF]

One thing you can say for sure about Tex in relationship to either the Yankees or the Sox is that if either team acquires him it will be for a HUGE contract. One team isnt gonna sit idle while the other gets a relative deal for the best offensive free agent on the market. Someone will pay alot for him and I hope its the Yanks!

[YF]

If Swisher can reach even close to those projections, this is going to be a very nice deal. He'll offset most of the offensive production lost with Giambi with his own good numbers and the improved defense. Marquez was marginal, and the Tex they do get may be useful bullpen fodder. And now there's no reason to spend on Big Tex, so they can devote resources to pitching.

I expect the Sox will look at Teixeira and decide he's not worth the cost given their salary/standings position.

[YF]

Sam: dollars to donuts Texeira doesn't move to either the Sox or Yanks. My guess is he stays with the Halos, who need him.

[Sam-YF]

Im with ya YF. Either the Halos or a surprise sleeper team that nobody is talking about...

[Nick-YF]

"And now there's no reason to spend on Big Tex, so they can devote resources to pitching."

I don't agree with this. The Yanks' offense was an issue last year even with Giambi putting up decent numbers. There's a very good chance that Swisher doesn't match those numbers, and so you have the team taking a step down in offense at first base. I much rather he played most of his time as an outfielder--as he defensively/offensively he match the now departing Abreu--and that the Yanks still go like mad after Tex, who will be a huge upgrade over the departing Giambi.

[Nick-YF]

"Either the Halos or a surprise sleeper team that nobody is talking about..."

Supposedly the Nats are interested and he's from the area...

[YF]

Giambi had a good year last year, so the replacement there, whether it's Swisher or Tex, isn't going to be the solution to your offense problem. With Swisher, they get most of Giambi's offense and a vast defensive improvement at cents on the dollar. The relatively improvement from Swisher to Tex isn't worth the ENORMOUS cost. They need offensive improvement at catcher (where they get back Posada, one hopes) and centerfield, where they were marginal. Posada alone will be a huge improvement, perhaps, Cash thinks, enough, especially as he's going to need time at dh/1b in the future.

[YF]

Oh, and 2nd base. Cano'd better not tank it for half a season next year. If he has a decent season, swisher plays to pecota, posada returns in some reasonable form, and they can figure out how to be somewhere around league average in center, they just might be in business--if they can put a staff together, which seems eminently doable, especially now.

[Nick-YF]

You put Swisher in full-time at first and you let Abreu go (and you should because of his defense and the fact that he wants a 3-year deal worth $45 million) and you take a step backward on offense in both rf and 1b positions without making a very noticeable improvement on the defensive end. Meanwhile, there are very few options on the free agent market that address rf and cf needs. So you're forced to the trade market, and that costs prospects and also is a lot harder to pull off. Since Tex is available, I think a better use of Swisher would be to make him a utility player that plays every day and can be used in a sort of platoon with Nady and to help out in center and left.

[Nick-YF]

other things to think about next year's offense: Will Jeter continue his decline? Will Damon regress? What about A-Rod. Will Nady be what he has been most of his career?

[YF]

swisher replacing giambi is something close to a wash, when you factor in defense and durability. nady is a drop from abreu offensively, but a defensive improvement, and mitigated, one hopes, by a full year of matsui, who's been durable over his career. posada is the obvious place where they get huge upgrade, in house. there's a lot of room for improvement from cano. in center they return what they had, which should improve or at least not regress.

the key is posada. if you lose your catcher, you're f^&*ed.

[YF]

so, then, my question to you, nick, is knowing that you're gonna get about what you had last year, PLUS posada, why would you drop $150 million on teixeira? why not spend on pitching, with at least 2 rotation spots open.

[Nick-YF]

My contention is that Swisher would add the most value to the Yanks by being used as an outfielder who could play all three positions. A platoon of Nady and him in right would be a big improvement on Abreu, and his presence at the other outfield positions would probably be an upgrade for the outfield overall from last season. So I don't think he should be seen as the or even a solution at first. Tex, meanwhile, is a signing that would help this year and beyond. He's relatively young and a star.

[YF]

Nick: I've got no beef with Tex, and agree that he'd be a huge boost offensively and defensively in the long term, especially if Swisher becomes an extra bat. Fine. Just don't expect it to happen, because my GUESS is that Cash thinks he can make the playoffs without dropping that kind of a contract on him, that he doesn't NEED Tex to achieve what he wants to achieve, and that he can allocate those resources to better use elsewhere. Now I may be wrong in that Swisher will not live up to what is hoped, and I may be wrong in thiinking that Cash has decided to skip the Tex sweepstakes--we shall see. As a fan, it'd be nice to have the extra piece, sure. But thinking analytically, my GUESS is that is not what is happening here.

That's how I read these tea leaves.

[Lar]

As a side note, FJM's last post is up. Didn't expect it..

[Atheose]

FJM is done? NOOOOOOOOOOO!

[I'mBillMcNeal]

After watching Swisher this season with the White Sox ... yawn.

[Atheose]

Hey Bill, btw--I finally compiled all the videos of my roommate's girlfriend snooping through my room, and threw it up on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbKjQZA4_tA

The original song I used was "Stupid Girl" by the Rolling Stones but it was copyrighted. If you want to see the original I've got it on Facebook. In any case, I should have put that up about 3 months ago! Enjoy

[YF]

FTR: Over on the Banter, Corcoran likes the move but writes that it is NOT a substitute for Teixeira. "Failing to sign Teixeira would be a Beltran-level blunder, a crippling blow to the Yankees’ team-building that it would take them years to overcome." Maybe, maybe not. That sounds a bit hyperbolic and in any case I wouldn't get hopes up. And anyway, with 4 corner outfielders--Swisher, Nady, Matsui, and Damon--it seems more likely that the Yanks look to deal for 1b (or pitching) rather than the fa market. Certainly, Cash has more leverage now.

[SF]

This is a good move. No real reason to over-read it. The Yankees gave up basically nothing meaningful and gained a proven major leaguer, a decent fielder, and one who can, at times, hit. At the worst this is a depth move, at best they've picked up an everyday player for almost nothing.

Kudos to Cashman.

[ponch - sf]

I'd love to rank on this deal, but the fact that they got something better than a pair of used cleats for Betemit makes it a plus for the Yanks.

[Atheose]

If anything I think this gives the Yankees MORE leverage with regards to dealing with Boras. They can now say "Look, Nick Swisher could easily fill in at 1st so we don't NEED Teixeira, he's just a bonus at this point." If the Yankees do end up signing Tex, it will probably be for less than before the Swisher acquisition.

[Paul SF]

Yeah, I'm with Nick on Teixeira. It's not about whether the Yankees could make the playoffs next year without him. They probably could. But what about the 2010 lineup, when Damon/Matsui/Nady/Posada/Jeter are all ANOTHER year older or looking at free agency? By then, Teixeira will be safely within the confines of a long-term deal with the Angels or, worse for the Yankees, the Red Sox.

Tex fills a similar need for the Sox. Can they make the playoffs, even win the World Series, without him in 2009? Absolutely, given how close they came in '08 and the likely return to health of Ortiz. But what about in 2010, when Ortiz/Drew/Lowell are another year older or seeking free agency?

Teixeira is a great short-term move because he's so good. He's a terrific long-term move because he's so young. This latter point is why he will command so much money -- and why I would gladly pay it.

[John - YF]

"Damon/Matsui/Nady/Posada/Jeter are all ANOTHER year older or looking at free agency?"

Ok so our players get older, but while Papi gets...

"the likely return to health of Ortiz"

The Yankees aren't going to go after TWO 100 million dollar plus contracts and it seems clear that SP is what they will target. I just don't see it happening. There are enough serviceable FA's in 2010 that the Yankees don't need to make this move. Add to that the arrival (hopefully) of AJax and I just don't see Tex as a need. Would he be nice to have? Absolutely. Who wouldn't want him? But I want SP'ing, SP'ing and more SP'ing.

2010 OF FA's:
Rick Ankiel STL
Jason Bay BOS
Coco Crisp * BOS
Carl Crawford TB
Johnny Damon NYY
Jermaine Dye * CWS
Brian Giles SD
Vladimir Guerrero LAA
Matt Holliday COL
Hideki Matusi NYY
Xavier Nady NYY
Magglio Ordonez * DET

* = Club Option

Also in 2010:
Victor Martinez * CLE
Chipper Jones ATL
Khalil Greene SD (For those who want Jeter at 1B)
Mark DeRosa CHC
Aubrey Huff BAL
Nick Johnson WAS

Jason Werth PHI

[John - YF]

"If anything I think this gives the Yankees MORE leverage with regards to dealing with Boras. They can now say "Look, Nick Swisher could easily fill in at 1st so we don't NEED Teixeira, he's just a bonus at this point." If the Yankees do end up signing Tex, it will probably be for less than before the Swisher acquisition."

No way Ath. Boras is all about money, do you really think he cares if the Yankees need him or just want him? He wants the most money possible, with nothing else even a close second. The Yankees have zero leverage, but they probably did cost Tex some cash. Boras would send Tex to play in Hell if the money was right.

[SF]

Boras would send Tex to play in Hell if the money was right.

And Tex would have to agree to play in Hell. Don't exempt the player from this equation, it's not all Boras.

[John - YF]

Sorry, Boras would convince Tex to play in Hell, not send him SF is right. The player(s) definitely deserve some of the responsibility. For instance, no offense to the Nationals or Orioles, but no amount of money gets me to sign there regardless of where I am from. If the Sox offered me 90 million and the Orioles offered me 110, I would not even blink, take the Sox offer. It's a better run franchise, they are winners and it's fun place to play. It simply should not be all out money.

[John - YF]

s/b all about money, sorry.

[Atheose]

The Yankees have zero leverage, but they probably did cost Tex some cash.

That's my point--they don't have to be actively involved in Teixeira, so the price that he'll eventually go for should be less than it was before. Now that the Yankees have more flexibility Boras can't squeeze as large of a price out of them.

But like somebody else said, I think Tex will stay with the Angels in the end.

[John - YF]

I don't think this warrants an entire post but...

What about Adam Dunn for the Yankees? I am really skeptical of his defense, but he really is a very patient hitter even with all of those strikeouts. His OBP is always very good, his HR totals are good and would only get better in NY. I think the Yankees would need to move Matsui in order for this to happen. I for one wouldn't mind Damon and Dunn splitting time in LF and DH. The other factor is Posada and his health. If he can't catch everyday that leaves him in the DH spot with too many hitters. Who knows, just throwing it out there.

[Atheose]

If I were the Yankees I'd jump all over Dunn. I've always pictured the Yanks moving Matsui anyways.

[John - YF]

I think moving Matsui would be fairly easy. I think the bigger problem is Posada. If he can't catch or catch on a regular basis he would then need to DH meaning someone would have to sit. I doubt they could sign a guy like Dunn unless they really knew for certain that Posada is going to be able to get behind the dish. I am a huge fan of Posada, but his situation certainly throws a monkey wrench in a lot of scenarios.

[Atheose]

Well that's the beauty of Swisher--his flexibility helps the Yankees move the rest of their fielders around. Swisher would be a better corner outfielder, and then you can use Dunn at 1B. He's got more of a 1B body/range anyways, and if he's acquired in Dec he'd have 4+ months to train for the new position.

[SF]

Ath:

We still owe you merchandise, we haven't forgotten, just been swamped.

[John - YF]

In 127 career games at 1B he has 15 errors and a FP% of .984.

Before your overly impressed by .984, Giambi has a career FP% of .992.

[John - YF]

Oh Yeah Ath and I haven't forgotten the keeper league movement either. Hopefully I will have a post up regarding that before Thanksgiving.

[Paul SF]

Ok so our players get older, but while Papi gets...

"the likely return to health of Ortiz"

Honestly, John. I expect better from you than that kind of bias-baiting. I made no aspersions on Yankee players for 2009 -- even said the Yankees could make the playoffs with those players -- and equated Ortiz with them as getting "another year older" in 2010.

[John - YF]

"I made no aspersions on Yankee players for 2009"

You are 100% correct, I went back and re-read your post. My apologies.

[Atheose]

No problem SF, looking forward to it!

Glad you're still interested John--I am too. Let me know when things need to start being done and I'll be glad to help out as much as I can.

And thanks for the stats on Dunn, for some reason I didn't think he had ever played at 1B. In any case, spending 4+ months training solely in the position should help with that. Posada can always play 1B too in the future. I would still want Dunn if I was Cashman.

[Paul SF]

My apologies.

No worries.

[Dave SF]

"But what about the 2010 lineup, when Damon/Matsui/Nady/Posada/Jeter are all ANOTHER year older or looking at free agency?"

Damon, Matsui, and Nady are all free agents in 2010. Notice something about them? None are 1B's. And none are worth re-signing. Because of that, this move portends, for me, a clear opening to sign Manny this year and Holliday next year. They could also move some pitching for a guy like Hermida.

Manny makes alot of sense for them. He can play RF at Yankee Stadium (he was average as a Dodger in those big NL LFs) at least as well as Abreu. His arm is still sound. And he's the best hitter available (yes, even better than Tex) for a team that lost almost 200 runs last year and was really bad against southpaws. The point is the Yanks don't have to sign Tex right now wth Swisher aboard and especially not with 3/4's of their other infielders needing time at 1B over the next 3 to 5 years. Tex never made sense for this very reason. Now, not at all.

If you ask me, I see no point for the Yanks or the Sox to sign a 1B to a six or seven or eight year deal. The O's or Nationals, sure. Even the Angels are looking at a long run of mediocrity with crappy contracts already, Tex is not a good long-term fit for 2010 and beyond for the Yanks. And with more teams bidding on Tex that opens the door for Manny. Boras, for all his talents, can't get the same teams bidding 20 million+ per year on multiple players at the same time. Some teams will focus on Tex. Some on Manny. None will focus on both unless it's to drive up the cost on other teams. Besides, who else will be competing for Manny? Not the Angels with their bevy of old OFs. Not the Sox. And the Dodgers can only bid so high. Who else? Watch - the Yankees get Manny for something like 3/70.

The Sox, with Anderson on the doorstep, make even less sense for Tex besides the absurdity of a long-term deal for a 1B. Better to re-sign Youk when he's due for four years at less money, stick with Lowell, and see if Lowrie develops into anything. 1B wasn't the problem for them this year - it was C, SS, and CF plus the bullpen. Focus on those positions (Texas, Furcal, pray for Ells, and K. Wood) and leave crappy contracts for 1Bs to lesser teams.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Ath, watched your video. good stuff. She looks like a hag, too.

And I'm gonna partially retract a comment I made earlier. I referred to the swisher deal with a yawn. and it generally is. But it's also a bargain. Even if the trade doesn't make the yankees much better, it still makes them better. Good move.