NICK SWISHER TO THE RED SOX? MAYBE NOT

The Red Sox have officially signed Jonny Gomes to a two-year deal; so at this point, it makes no sense to continue with the illusion of pursuing Nick Swisher and some of us would be OK with that. In fact, we wrote about how much we didn't like the idea of Swish in Red Sox red in NICK SWISHER TO THE RED SOX? I'M GONNA BE SICK.  After that, Bleacher Report gave us a backhanded plug by writing "Take the recent Red Sox interest in Nick Swisher. Its announcement evoked cries of wrath in the blogosphere akin to charges of treason." (HERE) "Cries of wrath??" Alittle too dramatic don't you think? But, I'm getting ahead of myself...

Now that Gomes is in the picture for Boston, why offer a big contract to a guy like Swish so that he can be platooned?  Oddly enough, Nick Swisher apologized (HERE) to the New York fans right around the Gomes signing.  Conspiracy? Coincidence? Some call it strategy. Maybe it was a strategic move on Swisher’s part to get the Yankees to give him the offer he wanted after he noticed Gomes was on his way to Beantown. Who truly knows, but it was a bit odd though.

Look, Nick Swisher isn’t useless. He is a switch hitter that can play both right field and first base. He would have made a nice addition to the Red Sox. The Sox have holes to fill in both positions. Granted, the Green Monster wouldn’t have him out helped much. But on a cheap contract, it would have made sense, not a big one like he's seeking. Swisher hit .272/.364/.473 this season. His numbers are decent and I am sure that there are other teams that could use a guy like him. The Orioles are the first team that comes to mind for me.
He would easily be able to hit in the middle of their line-up and give them a veteran in the clubhouse. The fact is, in his mid-30’s, Swisher will most likely start slowing down. His numbers will decrease and his ability to field in right will diminish, making it so he will have to play first base full time. That alone will lower his overall value.

The fact still remains that Swisher will most likely not return to the Yankees, and that is as much on the front office as it is on Swisher. The contract he is after just isn’t realistic. Not for the Yankees anyway. And Swisher deserves the right find or the best employer for him.

I like Swisher. I love his energy and passion on and off the field. He seems like a genuine, ‘wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve’ kind of guy. I really want Swisher to be happy wherever he may go. He brings energy to the clubhouse and energizes fans... you don't see his type of energy too often.  But, I got to say, regardless of where 2013 finds Swisher, I’m glad it’s probably not going to be in Boston.

--Erica Morales, BYB Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804



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