As per John Heyman:
The Yankees are ready to move on from the Nick Swisher era.
While they were still planning to make the $13.3-million qualifying offer to the free-agent outfielder on Friday, they appear hopeful he won’t take it. The offer is likely to be made only to protect the draft choice.
The Yankees seem to believe it’s very unlikely Swisher will take the one-year offer; in fact, they seem to be counting on it. While a repeat of the Jayson Werth seven-year, $126 million contract is out, Swisher should still be able to get at least a three-year deal, and perhaps even a longer one.
The Yankees generally are pleased with the overall production Swisher gave them in his four years in New York, but they see the era as being over after another rough postseason for Swisher. In his career, Swisher has just eight RBI in 154 postseason at-bats, with a .169 batting average and .589 OPS.
Swisher was a fan favorite for almost his whole stay in New York, but he expressed great disappointment at the fans’ booing of several Yankees in their ALCS sweep at the hands of the Tigers.
It’s not as if we weren’t expecting this. Swisher will definitely decline the Yankees’ offer and seek greener pastures. I’ll miss his sense of fun and I’ll never forget the time he took the pitcher’s mound at the Trop or how well he played first base in Tex’s absence, and he was pure entertainment out there in right field. But so it goes.
As for Soriano, he, too, is seeking – and will get – more money than the Yankees are willing to pay him and he should. He’s a good closer and good closers are in demand. My problem with not keeping him is what we’ll do instead. Say Mo comes back, as we all hope he does. Will he be able to pitch effectively for an entire season? Very possibly. But if not, do we think Robertson can step into the job this time? Or will Joba stay healthy and consistent enough to be the Joba of 2007? Or will some new candidate emerge?
Interesting times.
