The Biggest Move This Season Could Occur With A Swisher Injury

By On March 21, 2012 · 6 Comments · In Trade Musings

Less than a week ago, found himself out of a game for tightness in his . Yesterday, again he was pulled, this time with tightness in his . Now before you hit the panic switch, groin injuries are fairly common at this time of year, the point of spring training is to loosen players up, so no further tests are planned on the 31 year old. Still, it had me thinking what would happen if Swisher faced a season ending injury. Apart from catcher, there aren’t many positions I would expect the Yankees to immediately trade for a replacement, but right field is one of them.

With a budget to meet in 2014 and outfield prospects a few years away, I expect the Yankees to make a move for a cheap young outfielder after Swisher’s contract expires at the end of the year. The 2013 free agent market houses some impressive options for the team, but all at a significant price. , , , and all stand out as pricey options for a team with little budget room. Another issue with spending on the free agent market is age. The Yankees have a number of aging hitters on the payroll going forward, , , and . Signing a 32 year old player like Hamilton or Victorino may make sense next offseason, but it’ll only be a few years before these current stars reach their mid-30’s, along with even older players on the projected payroll. Perhaps the best option available would be the 28 year old , but again we have to worry about pricey contracts interfering with the 2014 budget. For this reason, the team will likely be looking for a young cost controlled outfielder.

Assuming a season ending injury for Nick Swisher, I don’t expect them to rely on and as a defensive platoon, nor do I expect them to count on an in-house option such as . A major injury would push the Yankees’ hand onto an early trade market. If the trade lends itself to any current front office tactic, the team will likely target a young cost controlled player with high upside. Though they may prefer more major league experience/success, is a good example of the type of player they may target.

Barring some sort of miracle in the minors, a trade for a young high-upside corner outfielder appears inevitable. There is no cause for concern yet, but if Swisher finds himself missing significant time, I expect some hefty moves this season. His health is something to keep an eye on, for the sake of his Yankee career and likely the Yankee career for some of the top prospects.

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6 Responses to The Biggest Move This Season Could Occur With A Swisher Injury

  1. smurfy says:
    March 21, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    I would like to see them work an extension with Nick, three years, $10 mm per. (Same with Russell.) I reckon the current “no contract negotiations in-season” policy arose from such as Gary Sheffield, who would hit a hot streak and immediately demand his contract be rewritten. They shouldn’t hamstring themselves by such absurd behavior.

    Reply
    • YankeesJunkie says:
      March 21, 2012 at 4:06 pm

      If the Yankees were able to get three years thirty million for Martin it would have been a win win situation for both sides. However, Swisher will be commanding around 15 million a year considering the consistent production he has had thus far with the Yankees.

      Reply
      • T.O. Chris says:
        March 21, 2012 at 4:59 pm

        I agree, no way he takes that deal. He could get 4 or 5 years from some team if he takes 10 million per year, he could possibly get 4 or 5 years AND the 15 million AAV.

        I could see Martin signing a 3 for 30 deal, though I think the Yankees want to see how he handles another full season behind the plate, how Romine develops, where the budget is at, and how much Miguel Montero is asking for. At this point it’s best to just keep our options open since the season is about to start.

        Reply
  2. T.O. Chris says:
    March 21, 2012 at 5:01 pm

    If Swisher goes down for the year, and we don’t go hard after Chris Young, I don’t know who else would be a better fit.

    Reply
    • Bryan V says:
      March 21, 2012 at 7:47 pm

      Chris Young? The DBack’s CFer whose best season was in 2010 when his line was .257/.341/.452 with 27 HR? The guy who saw each of those numbers go down the following season?

      He’ll hit around 25 HR a season, and steal 20 or so bases, but after that he offers little. Last year was a breakout one defensively, but I wouldn’t count on him to be anything more than average. And he’s 27, meaning his best days could very well be behind him. Oh, and he’s owed $8.5m next season, which is a bit more than people are thinking ($11m club option for 2014).

      I’m not going to throw names out there, but I’d rather get a player under team control for a few more years (at least covering 2014 and 2015), plays good to excellent defense, and hits for a high average (Cano and Jeter were the only regulars that hit above .276 last season).

      Reply
      • T.O. Chris says:
        March 21, 2012 at 9:03 pm

        Yes that Chris Young. I would trade Phil Hughes for Young tomorrow. An athletic, young, outfielder who can play all 3 positions with above average defense, and provide 25-25 almost on command. He would be able to replace Swisher for next year, and if Granderson left after 2013 he could slide over to LF while Gardner takes over CF. I’m not trading Banuelos, Williams or Sanchez for him but he is a valuable player in the prime of his career.

        I have no problem with 8 and 11 million dollars for two years of Young. He’d be cheaper than Swisher his first year in RF and he’d be cheaper than Granderson and most LF options come 2014. That also is a perfect timing for an outfielder with us. By the start of 2015 we should know what to expect from Mason Williams and the other lower minor league outfielders. I’d much rather find a way to trade Hughes or Hughes and some b level guy for 2 years of Young rather than re-sign Swisher, sign ethier, or trade Banuelos for some young outfielder.

        Also on what is the logic to someones best years behind them at 27? Most players peak is between 26 or 27 and 30 or 31, so by that logic you may be buying into Young’s peak of his talents.

        Who cares about average? Why pass on some hypothetical high OBP guy who has an ok AVG because you want someone hitting .300 even if the OBP is lower? Swisher is more valuable than most guys hitting for a better average than him. Hunting for batting average in a lineup is only smart in fantasy baseball.

        Reply

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