White Sox send Swisher to Yanks in 5-player deal
Not long after the Tampa Bay Rays eliminated the White Sox in the American League division series last month, Nick Swisher stood in front of his locker and packed up his belongings.
"Heading for an island with my lady," Swisher said. "Gotta get away. This was a long year for me, and I really wasn't ready for all of the media attention, especially all the negative stuff. But hey, I'll learn from it and come back strong next year."
That might be true, but Swisher now has to try getting his game back together in an even tougher media market - New York.
After batting a minuscule .219 with 24 home runs and 69 RBI in 153 games with the White Sox last season, Swisher was traded to the Yankees on Thursday along with promising minor-league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira.
In return, the Sox get versatile infielder Wilson Betemit and minor-league pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez
Swisher arrived on the South Side last season with big expectations after being acquired from the Oakland A's last winter for three of the White Sox' best prospects, pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Fautino De Los Santos and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.
While his quirky/perky presence was well received in the clubhouse and dugout, Swisher's performance with the bat never flied.
When he was riding the bench through much of August and September, Sox general manager Kenny Williams said Swisher just needed to alter his mechanics at the plate to get back on track in 2009.
Thursday's trade indicates the White Sox are not sufficiently convinced Swisher is going to make the adjustment.
"Very simply, we just kind of assessed where we stand today and where we finished the season," Williams said. "Nick Swisher, while we still love the guy and the energy he brings - and he will certainly have a bounce back year next season - we felt the fit just wasn't good enough to continue down this road.
"And we had a chance to get a couple of quality, quality arms."
At first glance, Betemit appears to be the key to the trade, but Williams sounds much higher on Marquez and Nunez.
Williams usually tries downplaying expectations for young players in order to ease the pressure, but he compared Marquez, a 24-year-old starter, to former Sox pitcher Jon Garland.
"What he brings to the table is a 90-94 (mph) fastball with a lot of sink," Williams said. "This is a guy who I think can come in (to spring training) and compete for a spot."
Marquez entered the 2008 season rated by Baseball America as the No. 7 prospect in the Yankees' system. He spent most of the year at Class AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre, going 6-7 with a 4.69 ERA in 14 starts before being sidelined with a minor posterior shoulder strain.
Williams has been personally inspecting Marquez in the Arizona Fall League, where the right-hander is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 8 games (4 starts).
Nunez, 22, split the 2008 season between Class A Potomac and Class AA in the Nationals' system and AA Trenton with the Yankees. Nunez was 2-8 with a 5.38 ERA as a starter for Potomac before being moved to the bullpen.
Betemit, 27, played in 87 games with the Yankees in 2008, hitting .265 with 6 home runs and 25 RBI.
Like Swisher, Betemit is a switch-hitter who plays a lot of positions. Last season with New York, Betemit appeared in 36 games at first base, 14 at shortstop, nine at third base, three at second and one in the outfield.
In 496 career games with the Yankees, Dodgers and Braves, Betemit is batting .260 with 42 home runs and 151 RBI.
Williams said Betemit could challenge Josh Fields, expected to be the Sox' starting third baseman, in 2009.
"I've not been shy saying a healthy Josh Fields goes in as the leading candidate for third base," Williams said. "He deserves it, but Wilson's going to get a shot and he could push Josh."
Texeira, 22, was 3-1 with a 0.93 ERA and 20 saves in 36 games with Class A Winston-Salem last season and 3-2 with a 2.01 ERA in 15 games with AA Birmingham.