When the news broke that the Atlanta Braves, despite owing him $15 million in salary for this upcoming season, flat out released Nick Swisher making him a free agent I warned the Yankees GM (jokingly of course) on Twitter not to even think about signing him. This was done very tongue-in-cheek and it was a knee jerk reaction, now that I have had a couple days to bide my time and do my research this is the question you all knew was probably coming, should the New York Yankees make a run at Nick Swisher for a second time in his career?
The New York Yankees are seemingly stacked at the outfield
position with their three regulars, Aaron Hicks, Slade Heathcott, Mason
Williams, Ben Gamel and Aaron Judge among the prospects right behind him but
where Swisher’s value comes is as a backup first baseman. Swisher has played
first base before and has played first base in the Bronx before I his first
tenure as a New York Yankee, could he do it again? Of course he theoretically
could, but will the Yankees pay the league minimum $525K while the Braves pay
his $15 million on the whim that the team might need a backup for Mark
Teixeira? I honestly can’t see it happening but here’s what I came up with.
Sure Swisher stole the hearts of Yankees fans in 2009 after
hitting 29 home runs, driving in 82 RBI and hitting for a .249 average in that
World Series season but it has been a steady decline for Swisher since that
campaign. His power remained steady on New York but his strikeouts increased
while his average declined as his knees began to give out. Swisher missed the
end of the 2014 season and the beginning of the 2015 season after having
surgery on both his knees but the saving grace for Swisher is that they
wouldn’t need him to be the guy that led the team to a 2009 World Series
championship. They wouldn’t need him to be the guy that got a contract in
excess of $50 million from the Cleveland Indians either, they would just need
him to be a better first baseman than Dustin Ackley, which he is, and a better
hitter than Chris Parmelee, which he is and so am I for that matter.
Swisher has played his best baseball in the brightest of the
bright lights, the biggest of the big stages and in the Bronx so why not?
Because he isn’t versatile, he isn’t young or an especially good hitter and he
simply clogs up the 40 man roster even further while blocking young talent like
Robert Refsnyder. That’s why. Swish, I love you dude but I just don’t love you
that much unless you’re coming on a minor league deal.
That's the kind of dumpster dive move the elf would do. Swisher brings nothing to the table and has shown he can't hit National league pitching. He's a clown that needs to be put out to pasture like CC. He shouldn't even be a thought.
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