DOES SWISH WANT BIG MONEY OR HOME SWEET HOME?

What would you do to bring back Nick Swisher?  Many of you love the Bronx Elvis, but there is so much that goes into a decision like bringing back a guy like Nick that many of you aren't thinking about...

• Robinson Cano: This guy is the future of the New York Yankees. He was farm bred, a future power hitter with above average years ahead of him. We here at BYB love Robbie and if the Yankees were smart, they'd lock this guy up long term, much like Derek Jeter.  Cano isn't going anywhere, he will stay in the Bronx for a long long time unless it's revealed that he did something stupid like dabbled in testosterone like Melky Cabrera. Doubtful.  I believe Cano is squeaky clean and will be a Yankee for life. That, of course is unless Scott Boras, his agent, gets stupid and greedy.  If the Yankees sign Cano long term, that's less money in the pot for Nick Swisher and remember, the Yanks want to be under $189 million by 2014.

• Curtis Granderson: Grandy has turned heads. He's come to New York and has won many of us over. He's a Yankee, minus 1 thing... a championship. The Yanks would be smart to bring Granderson back. He's stability in the outfield and a real leader. Again, the question is money and like we wrote a while ago on BYB (WHY THE YANKS HAVE A DILEMMA WITH CANO & GRANDERSON), can the Yanks afford to spend big on Grandy and Cano and still get under that $189 million mark? Granderson deserves a good look by the Yanks, but he could be the wild card in all of this...especially if the Yanks want to try and pickup Cano and say a starter this offseason, especially if they don't win a championship in 2012.

Nick Swisher: He's won over the Yankees fan base. That's huge for us fans, but remember, baseball is a business. The Yankees don't care about that, they care about winning. Nick Swisher will be in a free agent year, his first ever. Like we told you in SWISHER, THE BRONX ELVIS, SHOULD STAY WITH THE YANKEES, Swisher may want to see what he can get as a free agent...big money, big years. Jon Heyman's report just piggy backed off our speculation, read HERE and he writes a title to get Yankees fans all ticked off. Swisher may want big money, but don't think for a second that he would disappoint Yankee fans too. If Swisher could come back to the Bronx, he would, but he needs to go through the Free Agent process first and we need to respect that and let him. If the Yanks can get creative with Cano, Grandy and a starter if we decide to go that rout, Swish could come back, but he'd have to take a pay cut and less years. It's that simple.

Ichiro Suzuki:  Think about this for a second...Ichiro Suzuki is a quality outfielder nearing the end of his career. There is no doubt he's more agile than Nick Swisher in the field. He also is much cheaper and if he wanted to stick around the Bronx after this season, the Yanks would no doubt resign Ichiro cheap, much cheaper than a Nick Swisher and for less years. To me, it sounds like a no brainer, especially if the Yanks want to go on the cheap. It would stink for Swish fans obviously, but again, remember, it's business. Swisher wants big money and big years according to Jon Heyman. The Yanks want to get under that $189 million mark. If I'm the Yanks, and I sign Cano and Granderson, I don't want to spend more than $2 million on my right fielder. Guess who fits that mold? Ichiro, not Swisher.

A Starting pitcher: I feel like I say this all the time but the reality is...I do. The Yanks need an extra starter. A real starter, not some guy that they hope will be dominant, i.e. Ivan Nova or Phil Hughes. If the Yankees don't win the whole thing this year, look for them to pick up a starter, not at a high price, but at the right price via trade or free agency.

See? It's not as easy as it seems. Sure, New York loves Nick Swisher. I wonder though if we'll really be able to retain him. No easy task, that's for sure.

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