NEW YORK (WCBS 880)  -- Nick Swisher? It’s going to take a little bit of time for me to get used to this trade. But it’s clear that the Yanks did not give up too much to receive the versatile sort-of slugger of MoneyBall fame.

The package of Wilson Betemit, Jhonny Nunez and Jeff Marquez goes to Chicago in return for Swisher and minor league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira.

“We’re excited with the addition of Nick Swisher,” Yankees Manager Joe Girardi told reporters. “We feel he has a ton of upside. He’s a patient switch-hitter, adds versatility at a number of defensive positions, including first base and the outfield, and will be a positive presence inside the clubhouse.

Cashman added, "He's selective. He's got power. ... We felt it was a risk worth taking."

The big question is whether Swisher is here to play 1B or OF. Although his versatility is a virtue, Cashman indicated to reporters that “the plan” is to put Nick at 1B. Joe Girardi also reiterated on the YES Hot Stove Show that Swisher will play first. That means that Mark Texeira will not be coming to the Yanks. The move also puts to rest the delusional notion that some people have that Juan Miranda would start or platoon at 1st base in 2009.

That’s just as well. You can now expect the Yanks to go full-court press on CC Sabathia and either Derek Lowe or A.J. Burnett. If Cashman learned anything in 2007, it is that you can’t have the likes of Darrell Rasner and Sir Sid be 40% of your rotation. Those days, thankfully for Yankee fans, are over.

Nick Swisher, when he is going well, is an on-base machine. He came up in the Oakland system where patience and OBP is preached, and Swisher was a model student.  To be sure, Swisher had his worst year in 2007, sporting a .332 OBP for the White Sox. But his lifetime OBP of .354 is 19 points higher than the league average of .335. His lifetime OPS+ of 112 also suggest that the Yanks are getting a guy who is above-average, but clearly not a huge presence.

Although Swisher hit just .219 for the Southsiders, a look inside the numbers suggests that Swisher was simply very unlucky.

J.J.Stankevitz, who does an excellent covering the White Sox for examiner.com, has this take: “Swisher's 2008 line drive rate of .204 was the highest of his career, but his BABIP—which, if a player is neither lucky nor unlucky, should be .120 higher than his LD rate—was .251, just 0.47 points higher than his LD rate. That's not just unlucky—that's ridiculously unlucky.”

Yankee fans sure hope that Stankevitz is right.

Also consider that with more protection in the Bronx than he had in Chicago, Swisher should return to his career norms. He will be 28 later this month, so the Yanks also get younger, clearly another one of Cashman’s off-season goals. Nick’s enthusiasm for playing hard is also a real plus. (Hear that, Cano?)

There are three years left on Nick’s five-year, $26.75 million contract. In 2009, he makes $5.3 million. That goes up to $6.75 million in 2010 and $9 million in $2011. The Yanks will hold a $10.25 million club option for 2012, with a $1 million buyout.

Of the other player the Yanks received, Kanekoa Texeira, Baseball America says the 6-foot, 210 pound righty went “6-3, 1.33 combined between Winston and Double-A Birmingham in 2008, with 60 strikeouts and 21 walks allowed in 61 innings overall. He spots his 90-91 mph fastball to both sides of the plate to set up his plus slider, which is both a groundball pitch and strikeout offering.”

What did the Yanks give up? Lots of folks like Nunez, who tops out at about 95. I feel Marquez has the most potential for Chicago, but his stock fell for the Yanks this year after his rough season at Scranton. Clearly, getting rid of Betemit, his horrible range, anvil of a glove, and incredibly horrific 6-56 walk-strikeout ratio is a plus for the Yanks. Look for Nick Punto or Cody Ransom to handle the utility infielder role in 2009.

This is the first of many moves for the Yanks this season.  CC will be given an offer that he just can not refuse, and Derek Lowe may bring his durability to the Bronx. I still think that Matsui will be dealt to the Giants. Cashman no doubt will pull off a trade that isn’t even on anyone’s radar screen, so stay tuned.

(Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)