Swish or Klank??I'm not that remiss to the Sox trade= Nick Swisher actually seems to be a positive addition to the team, although heavy prospects were given up. It's a gamble, but the Sox have lost super pitching prospects before. Worth it ?? Context is everything.
First, the positives. By all reports, he's a solid positive teammate who bats left and can play CF or first. While not the leadoff man the Sox are looking for (3 SB's last year), he gets on a lot=.381 OBA last year w/ 100 BBs. He also hit 27 HRs, down from 35 the year before. In addition, he is signed through 2012- one imagines that may have been the biggest attration to the Sox organization. So, the Sox were able to pick a real nice player who has lots of serious upsides with no discernable downsides outside of his strikeouts (131 last year- yeesh!!). Good addition- but the price?
Three prospects gone. Ryan Anderson.......err.......Sweeney was one. But the two keys were pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Fautino de los Santos. Both are prospects that have huge upsides, de los Santos in particular. Although this is the third Sox trade Gonzalez has been in, he also was tagged as a potential Sox starter in the furure- even a star.
But strange as it seems, this trade was done for the future. Swisher, only 27, has proven himself and is just entering his best years. He's signed for five more years, and is exactly the sorta player the team should rebuild around. I can't fathom yet how this team is going to do in 2008- changes are not yet done - but I can't imagine the Sox contending with Detroit or Cleveland, let alone Boston etc... But given that the Sox lost out on the available free agent OF's with the laughably high numbers other teams threw @ the players, the Sox as always have to be creative. This trade added a solid player to the team who will be around for a long time. Although the prospects given up may very well hurt them terribly in four or five years when they hit their stride- it's still in four or five years and if they hit their stride. I think this is a gamble-but not a huge one.
Sox in 2009.
First, the positives. By all reports, he's a solid positive teammate who bats left and can play CF or first. While not the leadoff man the Sox are looking for (3 SB's last year), he gets on a lot=.381 OBA last year w/ 100 BBs. He also hit 27 HRs, down from 35 the year before. In addition, he is signed through 2012- one imagines that may have been the biggest attration to the Sox organization. So, the Sox were able to pick a real nice player who has lots of serious upsides with no discernable downsides outside of his strikeouts (131 last year- yeesh!!). Good addition- but the price?
Three prospects gone. Ryan Anderson.......err.......Sweeney was one. But the two keys were pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Fautino de los Santos. Both are prospects that have huge upsides, de los Santos in particular. Although this is the third Sox trade Gonzalez has been in, he also was tagged as a potential Sox starter in the furure- even a star.
But strange as it seems, this trade was done for the future. Swisher, only 27, has proven himself and is just entering his best years. He's signed for five more years, and is exactly the sorta player the team should rebuild around. I can't fathom yet how this team is going to do in 2008- changes are not yet done - but I can't imagine the Sox contending with Detroit or Cleveland, let alone Boston etc... But given that the Sox lost out on the available free agent OF's with the laughably high numbers other teams threw @ the players, the Sox as always have to be creative. This trade added a solid player to the team who will be around for a long time. Although the prospects given up may very well hurt them terribly in four or five years when they hit their stride- it's still in four or five years and if they hit their stride. I think this is a gamble-but not a huge one.
Sox in 2009.
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