In effort to beef up their defense, the New York Yankees acquired center fielder-first baseman Nick Swisher on Thursday through a trade with the Chicago White Sox. For Swisher, the Yankees traded away infielder Wilson Betemit and minor league pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez. Also arriving in the Bronx with Swisher is minor league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira.
In the ’08 season (153 games) with the White Sox, Swisher hit .219 with 24 home runs. Swisher is noted as a good candidate for first base with the Yanks, who declined Jason Giambi’s 2009 option worth $22-million.
Swisher has 3 years left on his 5-year $26.75 million deal. He is scheduled to make $5.3-million in 2009, $6.75-million in 2010 and $9-million in 2011. Also included in his deal is a $10.25-million club option for 2012, with a $1-million buyout.
Texeira, the 22-year-old relief pitcher had a 6-3 record along with 21 saves and a 1.33 ERA in 51 combined appearances with Class A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham.