As the offseason continues to roll along, Nick Swisher becomes one of the prized free agents left on the market. There are a couple of teams going after the outfielder and the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers look like the front runners in that race.
Here's why Swisher makes sense for each team beginning with the Mariners.
The M's acquired Kendrys Morales to protect hitters and spark the offense. Morales is a contact hitter with pop providing a fearsome bat in the middle of the lineup for an otherwise weak offensive Mariners team.
Though Morales isn't a Josh Hamilton or Zack Greinke who can pull in free agents and make players want to join the team, he's a solid major leaguer who brings promise to a young Mariners team.
Bring in Swisher and suddenly pitchers will have to be careful when facing Mariner hitters.
The O's shouldn't mind adding another bat to a lineup filled with pop. They will lose some slugging after letting Mark Reynolds walk, but with Manny Machado expected to play a full season, power will come from his bat.
Chris Davis is expected to take over first base duties. He played 30 games in right field last season, so Swisher would bring a reliable solution for that position.
The Orioles were offensive production away from moving on to the ALCS. Swisher would bring the power over from New York, however, he might be a little pricey.
The Rangers don't care about spending money. That's what we've learned in the last couple of seasons. Remember when this team had to be saved just a few years back? Well, now they are almost guaranteed playoff contenders, but bringing Swisher over could easily boost them back into the World Series.
Swisher would provide some of the pop Hamilton took with him to Los Angeles. Though he obviously can't compare to Hamilton with his bat, his clubhouse demeanor would make the Rangers one of the most exciting teams to watch on the field and follow off the field.
The expected prince range for Swisher is somewhere around $70-80 million for five years. That will buy you about 25 home runs and close to 90 RBI every season.
