Cano and Swisher: 2 Options the Yankees Must Exercise at the End of the Season
August 13, 2011 · Ken DeJohn · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Second basemen Robinson Cano and right fielder Nick Swisher both have club options for the 2012 season. Both players are very valuable to club, and the Yankees would be extremely stupid not to pick up their options.
Cano has a $14 million option with a $2 million buyout. The Yankees likely want to keep Cano in pinstripes for a very, very long time. He has been the staple of consistency for the Yankees and is easily one of the top three second basemen in the game.
Everyone knows of Cano’s offensive prowess, but what most fans of the game aren’t familiar with is his superb defense. Cano won a Gold Glove last season, and for good reason. He owns a very strong arm, has great range to his right and has one of the quickest, smoothest transitions when turning a double play in the game.
Cano’s offensive skills alone should convince the team to pick up his option. He currently owns a career line of .308/.347/.493 with 136 home runs and 584 RBIs.
From 2005-2010 (his first six seasons in the league), he hit over .300 four times, he never hit less than 14 homers and he never had less than 155 hits.
He has really become a force over the past two seasons. He has amassed over 200 hits in each, along with at least 25 homers, 85 RBIs, 41 doubles, 103 runs scored and a .319 average in each.
He’s been an All-Star three times, a Gold Glove award winner, a two-time Silver Slugger award winner and he even finished third in last year’s American League MVP voting.
It’s pretty obvious why his option should be picked up.
Now, on to Nick Swisher.
Swish has a $10.25 million option with a $1 million buyout following this season.
His value to the team is not only as an above-average right fielder. He also contributes in the clubhouse and Yankees fans absolutely love him. He’s just a genuinely good guy—a guy the Yankees would love to have for a few more seasons.
Although Swisher’s defense is mediocre at best, he never gives less than 100 percent on any play and isn’t afraid to dive for the ball or run into the wall.
When the Yankees acquired Swisher a few years back, many fans were somewhat skeptical of the trade. He was coming off his worst statistical season as a big leaguer (he hit .219/.332/.410), and many believed him to be more of a role player than difference-maker.
Well, after Xavier Nady went down with an injury in the beginning of the 2009 season, Swisher proved all the nonbelievers wrong. He went on an absolute tear and hasn’t left the starting lineup since.
His numbers in two full seasons with the club are very respectable. In his first season with the team, he hit a respectable .249/.371/.498 with 29 home runs and 82 RBIs. He actually improved in his second season, posting a line of .288/.359/.511 with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs.
Cano’s option seems like a no-brainer for the club, but Swisher’s may not. Although Swisher would be the best free agent right fielder available if his contract was bought out, there is one intriguing option that the Yankees may want to consider.
The team has been connected with the left-handed hitting David DeJesus a few times in the past and, now that he’s scheduled to be a free agent, the team may want to give him a look.
Both Cano’s and Swisher’s options should be exercised, and I think that extensions should even be dished out. Cano’s a player that the club can build a championship team around, and Swisher’s a difference-maker that’s hard to come by in today’s game.
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