Nick Swisher Or Justin Upton : The Battle Of AAV

UPDATE:

With the latest Gardner set back we now would have a place to play Upton rather then having to trade for him and potentially bench him a couple times a week. This makes this all the more intriguing. 

Don't get me wrong I love Nick Swisher, I think that needed to be said, and I love everything that he brings to the team. The walks, the defense, the smile, the clubhouse antics etc. I love the guy and I think everyone that is a fan of the Yankees does but would just like a little more. He maintains an average of about 15% walk rate and about a 3.0 WAR as a Yankee while playing more then adequate defense in right field in Yankee Stadium. He is what he is though and that is a mid .250's hitter generally and a 33 year old outfielder at seasons end. His prime, unless he has read Barry Bonds book, is probably gone and the decline will start in the next couple of seasons. We are not going to extend Swisher unfortunately though and I say unfortunately because his AAV , the point of this whole article, is only $5.92 million. That will not matter if he hits free agency. I'll give you a hint too imagine the dollar figure that Swisher is going to sign for and see if what you thought will be a higher AAV then Upton's current AAV below. 

I have always kind of had a sweet spot for Arizona and I cannot explain it. Well I did until they bought Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling and beat our asses in the World Series in 2001, but I digress. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the Brandon Webb's, the Stephen Drew's, recently the Ian Kennedy's,  and the Justin Upton's of the world grow up before our eyes. With that said I have seen some "laziness" and "attitude" problems out of Justin Upton that concern me a little but you have to remember that Justin is the man in Arizona. I would like to see how it would go if he started that kind of stuff in New York with the Derek Jeter's and the CC Sabathia's and the Mariano Rivera's of the world on the team. 

Upton walks an adequate amount, about 10% of the time while averaging about a 4.5 WAR and an above average UZR (take it for what you will). He has young and fresh legs and makes good plays out there in right field in what is considered a pitchers park in Arizona. Some will say that his UZR is bloated because of so much ground that Chris Young covers but I do not buy it, I watch the games. Upton is usually around a .280 average with lots of pop in the bat.Oh and Justin's AAV, which is why we are all here, is $8.33 million. It is currently higher then Swisher's but remember that Swisher is not going to sign an extension with the Yankees during the season. Swisher will sign for AT LEAST $12 million and for 3 years... his age 33, 34, and 35 seasons. 

Let's remember that positional players tend to pull in MUCH more in the offseason then they do at a trade deadline. I do not know why but that is the way it has been for a long time which makes this the perfect time for the Yankees to strike on a deal. I think we would have to get a third team involved unless the Diamondbacks are just in love with Brandon Laird, Eduardo Nunez, Ramiro Pena, Addison Maruszak, etc. Upton makes the lineup and the defense younger, more balanced as a right handed power hitter, and all around better.

In closing...
Get Greedy.... Save Money.... Get Upton