Nick Swisher, elder statesman?
Yes, the man who (mostly) endeared himself to Yankees fans with his animated ways has moved on to the Indians, where he finds himself taking on a new role. One that would surprise most of his Yankees teammates of the last four years.
“This is going to my 10th year in the league, and this is the first time I’ve ever had a manager ask me what my opinion was on something,” Swisher said yesterday, while making an appearance at the Boys & Girls Club of Hudson County’s Jersey City Club. “I’m super-excited about that. It’s going to be great. The communication level [with new Cleveland manager Terry Francona] is just off the charts, and that’s something I’ve never had before.
“I don’t really have many opinions on a lot of things, but when it comes to baseball, it’s a game that I love. It’s a game that I take a lot of pride in. For me to be able to have maybe a little input on what goes down, it’s going to be awesome.”
Swisher described his relationship with Francona, who won two World Series titles with Boston, as “the best ever.”
A four-year, $56-million offer (with a vesting option for a fifth year at $14 million) convinced Swisher, a native of Columbus, Ohio, and an Ohio State product, to sign onto a homecoming. The Yankees, looking to slash payroll in 2014 and beyond, never tried to retain him once he turned down the club’s $13.3 million qualifying offer for 2013.
When Swisher agreed to attend tonight’s Baseball Writers Association of America New York Chapter dinner in Manhattan — he will receive the Ben Epstein-Dan Castellano Good Guy Award — he looked to add a charity component to his trip, specifically thinking of Super Storm Sandy. He and his wife JoAnna, who is pregnant, agreed on this club’s music program, as much of its musical equipment was destroyed by the storm.
“My wife and I, we’re really big into giving back,” Swisher said. “Especially to a place that has been so amazing for us. To be able to give back and help people, that’s right up our alley.”
His Yankees tour ended badly, with a fourth straight poor postseason showing, a public rebuke of the fans for booing him and the team’s American League Championship Series sweep at the hands of Detroit. Yet he’s looking forward to greeting the New York fans at the dinner tonight, and he’s moved past the disappointment.
“Those playoffs were a little rough for us as a group, but hey, man, you know, it happens,” Swisher said. “I think we’re all really excited about getting next season going. I know a lot of us are all going to a lot of different places.”
That was an allusion to the players who have left the Yankees, with Rafael Soriano, Russell Martin, Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez among the veterans who found new places of employ. Yet Swisher wouldn’t touch the idea of the Yankees suffering through a rough winter, nor would he say a bad word about his time in The Bronx.
“This place will always be close to my heart,” he said. “It was amazing for me to be able to spend four years here. The fans, the city, to be able to win a World Series. This place has been amazing to me, and I can’t thank them enough.”
He professed hope Cleveland, which has endured four straight losing seasons, could shock the world like Oakland and Baltimore did last year. But Yankees fans might not see him in his new uniform; the Indians’ visit to Yankee Stadium comes June 3-5, right around the time JoAnna is due.
* The Yankees signed Boone Logan to a one-year, $3.15-million deal, avoiding arbitration yesterday.
The team’s only remaining unsigned, arbitration-eligible player is David Robertson, who submitted a salary request of $3.55 million against the Yankees’ $2.85 million. If the two sides can’t agree on terms, then they will take the disagreement to an arbitration hearing in February.
* Jorge Posada will be back in pinstripes during spring training as a guest instructor for the Yankees.
“They haven’t asked me yet, but they said they are going to,” Posada told the Associated Press. “I’ll be around.”
— With AP