The Better Trade
A Closer Look at Money in Sports
Yankees or the White Sox - Who's getting the better trade?
March 3, 2009
Who got the better trade: The Yankees or the White Sox?
The jury is still out as to which American League team made the better trade last fall. The New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox got together in a five-player swap that may have little short-term significance for either team.
The Yankees obtained Nick Swisher and minor league relief pitcher Kaneoka Texeira in exchange for Wilson Betemit and minor league pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez. Did either team make a better trade? Take a look at the details and decide for yourself.
Swisher, 27, hit .219 with 24 home runs for the White Sox in 2008. Swisher had the lowest batting average for any everyday player in the American League. He started 69 games in center field, 47 games at first base, 16 games in left field and 11 games in right field. His importance was diminished when the Yankees later signed all-star first baseman Mark Texiera to an eight-year multi-million dollar contract.
Swisher could make it a better trade for the Yankees because of his versatility. Although signing Texiera likely forces him to the outfield, he could also play first base when Texeira takes a day off or is penciled in as the designated hitter. Swisher could also be used as trade bait when veteran Hideki Matsui comes back from knee surgery. Swisher could also see some time at DH, too, although it wouldn't make sense to hide his better-than-average glove on the bench.
The minor league pitcher Texeira (no relation to Mark) was a combined 6-3 with 21 saves and a 1.44 ERA for Winston-Salem and Birmingham. He was second among the organization's minor league pitchers in saves.
What makes the White Sox believe they made a better trade? Chicago received Betemit, a versatile player capable of starting at each of the four infield positions. Betemit hit .265 with 13 doubles and 25 RBIs in 87 games for the Yankees in 2008.
The better trade for the White Sox may come in the form of the two pitchers. Marquez was a supplemental first-round pick by the Yankees in 2004. The Sacramento City College selection was 43-40 with a 3.60 ERA in five minor-league seasons. Nunez was acquired by the Yankees from the Washington Nationals prior to the 2008 trade deadline in a straight-up swamp for infielder Alberto Gonzalez.
Who got the better trade? Ask again around the Fourth of July.
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