MLB Rumors: Yankees Wise to Keep Infectious Nick Swisher
December 23, 2011 · Michael Dixon · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
While the Indians are certainly in need of acquiring a bat, the Yankees are making the right decision by not making Nick Swisher available to them.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that the Indians have talked to the Yankees about Swisher. According to Rosenthal, the Indians saw him as a reasonable alternative to Carlos Beltran, assuming he didn’t sign with them.
The Indians didn’t sign Beltran, but that can’t influence the Yankees’ decision. New York is the biggest of the big-market teams and they are competing for a World Series title every year. For them, the decision to keep Swisher or not comes down to one thing.
Can they get a better overall player than him?
The answer to that is a definitive “no.” Swisher is far and away better than any outfielder on the free agent market. With the exception of Prince Fielder, he’s a better hitter than anyone on the free agent market. Moving him would make no sense.
In addition to all of that, Swisher is a good guy. He’s popular with fans and players alike, and has been everywhere he’s gone.
But this boils down to one thing: numbers. Look at what he’s done in his three years in pinstripes.
| Season | HR’s | RBI | AVG. |
| 2009 | 29 | 82 | .249 |
| 2010 | 29 | 89 | .288 |
| 2011 | 23 | 85 | .260 |
In addition to that, Swisher also plays good defense. At this point, the Yankees can do no better than Swisher in right field. Logically, the Indians know that the options don’t exist on the free agent market.
According to Rosenthal, “Club (Indians) officials say they are pursuing every hitter on the market who is not named Prince Fielder.”
Any free agent that the Indians could pursue could also be pursued by the Yankees. If the Yankees felt that they could improve on Swisher, they would have gone after someone.
It’s not that easy to put up the kind of numbers that Swisher has produced, and find it from a switch hitter that plays good defense, let alone someone who’s good in the clubhouse.
The Indians may need another bat, but that’s not New York’s problem. They’re better off keeping Swisher in the Bronx and working to add depth to their pitching rotation.
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