Giants are at their payroll limit

[SFrush90]

Rowand was a better fielder and baserunner. Ironically, swisher has played 149 less games then rowand up until this point and has a career war of 26.3 which is one point above Rowland's career war. Considering that, the money rowand recieved and the money swisher wants I'd have to agree with the previous posters comment about swisher being like another rowand.

Thank you fangraphs

Swisher isn't a bad defender, better than average, career 3.0 UZR/150. Rowand, yes, was a better defensive outfielder with a 7.7 career UZR/150 which was basically his value, but was average with the bat outside of his two career years. However, on the other hand, Swisher has been consistently better than an above average hitter, closer to being "great" than "above-average", according to FanGraphs. He's not the best base runner, but not bad that it would be detrimental to a team like Bengie Molina or Ruben Rivera. Add all that up and it's quite easy to choose Swisher over Rowand. Rowand's WAR was obviously inflated due to his 04 and 07 seasons and wasn't close to that production at any other point in his career. Especially his 07 season where he was able to benefit from Citizens Bank Park and had home/road SLG difference of .082. To see people actually think Rowand and Swisher are comparable is ridiculous. Rowand was never worth the money he was given, Swisher if given the same amount as Rowand, would easily be worth it.

[spliff(TONE)]

I miss Rowand. Honestly i'd offer him a minor league deal to see what he has left. Who knows maybe he can find the fountain of youth and play like he did in his chisox/philly days... could potentially solidify LF.

Worst idea ever.

[BadnewzNiners]

Swisher isn't a bad defender, better than average, career 3.0 UZR/150. Rowand, yes, was a better defensive outfielder with a 7.7 career UZR/150 which was basically his value, but was average with the bat outside of his two career years. However, on the other hand, Swisher has been consistently better than an above average hitter, closer to being "great" than "above-average", according to FanGraphs. He's not the best base runner, but not bad that it would be detrimental to a team like Bengie Molina or Ruben Rivera. Add all that up and it's quite easy to choose Swisher over Rowand. Rowand's WAR was obviously inflated due to his 04 and 07 seasons and wasn't close to that production at any other point in his career. Especially his 07 season where he was able to benefit from Citizens Bank Park and had home/road SLG difference of .082. To see people actually think Rowand and Swisher are comparable is ridiculous. Rowand was never worth the money he was given, Swisher if given the same amount as Rowand, would easily be worth it.

Rowand's 4 seasons before becoming a giant including one where he only played 104 games goes like this 5.9, 4, 1.6, 6. Swisher at his best is barely a 4 WAR player. Swisher has only been an above average hitter while playing in a hitters park on one of the most dynamic offenses in history. Where he has the advantage in obp. He hurts with his baserunning skills which lies somewhere between Molina and average. Where he has the advantage in slg.% He hurts by giving up extra base hits, put him in this park and watch that slg.% go down and those extra base hits given up in the field go up. Rowand's overall value was hurt by injuries which swishes has been able to avoid up to this point. You put swisher in this park and watch his WAR drop like Rowand's, add a couple injury plagued seasons to round it out and I'd bet money his time on the giants would look a lot like rowand's, even with the roster differences considering swisher would be on a much better lineup batting out of the 6-7 spot compared to what Rowand's 1-3 spot with only Molina as his protection.

[spliff(TONE)]

Sure, pal.

[Greedy22]

Rowand's 4 seasons before becoming a giant including one where he only played 104 games goes like this 5.9, 4, 1.6, 6. Swisher at his best is barely a 4 WAR player. Swisher has only been an above average hitter while playing in a hitters park on one of the most dynamic offenses in history. Where he has the advantage in obp. He hurts with his baserunning skills which lies somewhere between Molina and average. Where he has the advantage in slg.% He hurts by giving up extra base hits, put him in this park and watch that slg.% go down and those extra base hits given up in the field go up. Rowand's overall value was hurt by injuries which swishes has been able to avoid up to this point. You put swisher in this park and watch his WAR drop like Rowand's, add a couple injury plagued seasons to round it out and I'd bet money his time on the giants would look a lot like rowand's, even with the roster differences considering swisher would be on a much better lineup batting out of the 6-7 spot compared to what Rowand's 1-3 spot with only Molina as his protection.

What injury plagued seaons did he have? As a full-time starter in 08-09 he averaged 148 games a year, 10-11 he lost his job to a guy who was flat out playing better than him. The dude was DFA'd, Swisher is better.

[spliff(TONE)]

Let's just pretend he is a humungous dick swallower since it's obvious that the Giants aren't going to sign him.

[SFrush90]

Rowand's 4 seasons before becoming a giant including one where he only played 104 games goes like this 5.9, 4, 1.6, 6. Swisher at his best is barely a 4 WAR player. Swisher has only been an above average hitter while playing in a hitters park on one of the most dynamic offenses in history. Where he has the advantage in obp. He hurts with his baserunning skills which lies somewhere between Molina and average. Where he has the advantage in slg.% He hurts by giving up extra base hits, put him in this park and watch that slg.% go down and those extra base hits given up in the field go up. Rowand's overall value was hurt by injuries which swishes has been able to avoid up to this point. You put swisher in this park and watch his WAR drop like Rowand's, add a couple injury plagued seasons to round it out and I'd bet money his time on the giants would look a lot like rowand's, even with the roster differences considering swisher would be on a much better lineup batting out of the 6-7 spot compared to what Rowand's 1-3 spot with only Molina as his protection.

Lots of people thinks Swisher benefited from Yankee Stadium. You and those people are mistaken. Look up the stats. I'll just provide them for you:

2009-
Home: .226/.382/.394 .350 wOBA
Road: .268/.361/.585 .400 wOBA

2010-
Home: .287/.356/.498 .374 wOBA
Road: .289/.362/.523 .384 wOBA

2011-
Home: .273/.380/.473 .370 wOBA
Road: .248/.368/.425 .351 wOBA

2012-
Home: .283/.370/.464 .363 wOBA
Road: .261/.359/.482 .362 wOBA

One can even see that Swisher is .360 wOBA hitter without the Yankees. In 2005 he had a .332 wOBA, he was still a rookie so he was obviously still adjusting, but the two years after that he put .369 and .362 wOBA seasons. Swisher is more than just an "above-average hitter". Like I said, he's closer to "great" than "above-average", but I'm not calling him a great hitter just in case you think I am. Rowand is an average hitter that plays good defense. Swisher is an above-average/great hitter that plays adequate defense and just about average base running over his career. Swisher hitting greatly outweighs the defense Rowand brings because Swisher isn't a bad defender. If Swisher was Delmon Young I could understand your point.

Swisher's SLG would probably dip a bit here, but he still would be one of our most valuable and best hitters.

What injuries effected Rowand? If you're talking about ones with the Giants, it's not like those hindered from being a good player because as a Giant his base running was average, his hitting was average, and the only value he brought was defense.

There's no way Rowand would put up numbers like Swisher if Rowand was 100% healthy. Just like at the differences in career numbers.

Rowand- .273/.330/.435 .333 wOBA

Swisher- .256/.364/.473 .359 wOBA

[BadnewzNiners]

What injury plagued seaons did he have? As a full-time starter in 08-09 he averaged 148 games a year, 10-11 he lost his job to a guy who was flat out playing better than him. The dude was DFA'd, Swisher is better.

He had broken a rib and shoulder in a dirt bike crash in his early playing days with the whitesoxs. He ran into the wall and had some facial lacerations in the year he only played 104 games with the Phil's before coming to the giants. he played through a bruised rib he suffered in early april in 2008. He got hit in the head by a pitch in april of 2010 and had some facial fractures. His pre giants WAR was hurt by injuries which if he hadn't had you could of easily put his WAR around 4 right around swishers. Rowand's years with the giants included player decline because of age, ballpark factors and injuries. Swisher would be dealing with two of those factors already like I said add a couple injuries and watch where his WAR would be. Rowand's first year on the giants his WAR was 2.6 swishers last season was 3.9 at 32 while moving to our park and dealing with the bruised rib rowand did I could easily see his WAR dropping to around 2.6

That whole division is considered hitter friendly compared to the nl west, while they also have the advantage in the AL with the DH( more pressure put on the pitchers, less pressure put on the hitters) swisher benefited from the Yankees line up as much as the ballpark

Lastly didn't think for one second I'm defending rowand cause I'm not I felt the same way about rowand before the giants signed him as I do now about the possibility of the giants signing swisher. I expressed that on here back then under the name sfgiants15.

All I'm stating is that signing swisher would be LIKE the signing of rowand, contract, ballpark factors, age, production albeit swisher walks a lot more almost 10% more per plate apperances and slug's a bit better.

Actually I could of expressed that stuff about rowand on this account considering I created this account early of that year

[ciaban]

With all the swisher talk, what are the odds that the team actually pony's up and gets him

[spliff(TONE)]

0/100

[SFrush90]

With all the swisher talk, what are the odds that the team actually pony's up and gets him

None.

[Lloyd Christmas]

Not good like one out of a hundred?

[bchissie]

Not good like one out of a hundred?

More like one out of a million...

[Lloyd Christmas]

[spliff(TONE)]

So you're saying there's a chance?