White Sox Trade Swisher to Yankees

mwitt · 11-13-2008, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by IcSyU

They got enough guys to hit the ball out of the country. They need to find some guys that can hit .300 year in and year out so it's not all solo shots. I thought Robinson Cano was this person but last year led me to a different opinion. Hopefully he bounces back.

Batting average is an overrated statistic. Swisher gets on base over 35% of the time. That will help stop solo home runs. That was why he was brought to Chicago.

IcSyU · 11-13-2008, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by mwitt

The White Sox got freaking ripped off. The only way this makes sense to me is if they plan on making a splash in free agency.

I completely agree with you there.

It still doesn't make sense to me though. If the Yankees needed any kind of position player, a guy who hits .300 was what they needed. First they needed to address starting pitching and this definitely was not addressing that issue.

mwitt · 11-13-2008, 04:27 PM

Here's what Rotoworld thinks:

"We still think Betemit can be an adequate regular, but this is a great trade for the Yankees. Three pieces they had little use for in return for a possible 30-homer guy still in his prime. Swisher was quite a disappointment while hitting .219 for the White Sox last season, but he still had 24 homers and 82 walks in 497 at-bats. If he bounces back to .260 or so, he's a well above average regular. Plus, he gives the Yankees plenty of flexibility. He should be penciled in at first base for now, but he can shifted to right or center if the Yankees go and get that other Teixeira fellow."

"It's pretty bad that the White Sox actually had to throw in a minor league reliever just to come up with Wilson Betemit, Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez. Texeira just about cancels out Nunez in the deal. The 22-year-old had a 1.33 ERA and 21 saves between Single-A Winson-Salem and Double-A Birmingham last season. His stuff is unexceptional, but he could surface as a middle reliever."

mwitt · 11-13-2008, 04:31 PM

Here's what Rob Neyer says about it:

"If you look at Swisher's .219 batting average this year, you'd think he had a lousy season. You'd be right. But even more, it was an unlucky season. Swisher's walk percentage, his strikeout percentage, his line-drive percentage … they were all right in line with his career norms. So what happened? He just hit too many atom (as in, "at 'em") balls. Sometimes this happens, though usually not to Swisher's extreme degree. Just watch. Next year, if he's healthy, he'll hit .250 and score 100 runs."

Is Nunez better than Teixiera? No.
Is Marquez even a prospect anymore? Debatable. Probably not.
So Swisher for Betemit? Umm, what?

CyGuy33 · 11-13-2008, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by mwitt

And his career OBP is over .800 and that was with the vast majority of his career being in a pitcher's park.

He's not going to any All Star games, but he's versatile, signed for 3 more years, and is not expensive.

They gave up WILSON BETEMIT for him. They bought low. The White Sox just acquired a worse version of Juan Uribe for Nick Swisher, whom they traded their farm team for last winter.

The White Sox got freaking ripped off. The only way this makes sense to me is if they plan on making a splash in free agency.

If Nick Swisher is in the starting lineup for the Yankees next season I will be disapointed. If they plan to use him as a bench player and it was him for Betemit not a big deal.

mwitt · 11-13-2008, 04:33 PM

And isn't Betemit a free agent after 2009? Swisher is signed for 3 more years. The White Sox power hitters are old except for Quentin, and they just traded away the potential replacement for three of those guys. And the only power hitting lefty in the lineup except for Thome.

A-town Cy · 11-13-2008, 04:44 PM

Ummm Yankees, that's the wrong Texeira!!

Another Yankee player that can play half the positions so they can put out a different line up each and every night.

CyGuy33 · 11-13-2008, 04:47 PM

The last time the Yankees took a player that started with the A's, Jason Giambi, cough cough, didn't turn out so well.

IcSyU · 11-13-2008, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by CyGuy33

The last time the Yankees took a player that started with the A's, Jason Giambi, cough cough, didn't turn out so well.

They put up pretty much identical numbers last season too