Zell's Pinstripe Blog

     The Yankees acquired Swisher and Texeira from White Sox for Betemit, Marquez and Nunez. I really like this deal. As of now..it looks like Swisher will be the Yankees 1B for next year. It makes more sense to me than dropping a 10 year/$200 million dollar contract on Mark Teixeira. I liked Marquez, but he never really got his act together so he ain’t a big loss. Nunez was a decent prospect for the Yankees, but his future wasn’t very bright as he was at best a middle reliever. As for Betemit..he hit the occasional HR, but he was a terrible hitter. It was either hit or miss with him, and I am happy to see him go. Swisher has pop in his bat, but his average isn’t very good. He hit .219 last year, but I could definitely see him lifting that up..considering his career average is .244. Texeira is a 22 year-old middle reliever from the White Sox organization who dominated in the minors. His career minor league numbers look like this:

144.1IP  (W-L) 12-7  40SV  2.25ERA  118H  49BB  149K  9.31K/9  1.16WHIP

  I could definitely see him in the Yankees bullpen down the road…

Girardi’s thoughts:

“We’re excited with the addition of Nick Swisher,” said Yankees Manager Joe Girardi. “We feel he has a ton of upside. He’s a patient switch-hitter, adds versatility at a number of defensive positions, including first base and the outfield, and will be a positive presence inside the clubhouse.”

from rotoworld:

Swisher

Yankees acquired first baseman-outfielder Nick Swisher and RHP Kanekoa Texeira from the White Sox for infielder Wilson Betemit, RHP Jeff Marquez and RHP Jhonny Nunez. 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.

Texeira

RHP Kaneoka Texeira was sent from the White Sox to the Yankees in a five-player trade. 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. The 22-year-old Texeira 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.

From Peter Abraham (The LoHud Yankees Blog):

UPDATE, 4:39 p.m.: Cashman just said that if the season started today, Swisher is the 1B. … The more I think about this deal, the more it makes sense. Swisher has three years remaining on his deal – right about the time the Yankees could need first base as an option for Jeter and/or Posada.

Carl Pavano is exhausted from his time with the Yankees. He might return to Florida…

“I look back at those four years with the Yankees, it was exhausting,” he said. “But if I was healthy, no doubt about it, the team would have benefited and I would have benefited.”

hahaha