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For those of you who cringed at the thought of Jonny Gomes being the Red Sox' biggest free-agent acquisition of the offseason, there may be hope.
It may not be the splash you were hoping for, but according to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have had "ongoing negotiations with [Nick] Swisher and his agents" in recent weeks. For general manager Ben Cherington and the Red Sox, Swisher would be a bit of an upgrade over outfielder Cody Ross, with whom Boston has been unable to reach an agreement.
Swisher hit .272 with 24 homers and 93 RBI last season for the Yankees. The 32-year-old would likely take over as the Red Sox' right fielder to fill out a starting outfield featuring Gomes in left field and Jacoby Ellsbury in center.
CSNNE: Swisher, Sox have been talking
Look out Cody Ross, someone might be taking your job! Swisher would be more than a suitable replacement for Ross, but the only issue is how much is Swisher looking for? Jon Heyman was reporting in August that he was looking for a "Jayson Werth contract". That would be a seven-year, $126 million deal.
If that's the type of deal being discussed, I am hoping that Ben Cherington would hang up the phone. There are some players worth a $100 million deal and Nick Swisher isn't one of them. If he got a three or a four year deal at $15 million per, then that's something more palatable. But when you're dealing with someone like Swisher's agent, Dan Lozano, all bets are off.
Swisher would be a good fit in Boston, and if the Sox sign Mike Napoli as well, the Sox could have themselves a pretty potent offense.
Rest of the Links: Globe: Napoli is focus of Sox | Herald: Not sleeping on Napoli | NESN: Swisher, Sox have "ongoing negotiations"
