Corner of Carnegie and Ontario: Fool me once...

The Nick Swisher tour…forgive me if I’m not onboard. As I batten down the hatches here at the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario for the impending winter blast and hurricane-like winds, I can't help but reminisce about the ghosts of Cleveland Indians, and of Cleveland's past in general. Too many player tours have come to the area, only to use the Indians as a blast-off point for a contract elsewhere.

Don’t get me wrong. If Nick Swisher signs with the Cleveland Indians, the outfield of Michael Brantley in left, Drew Stubbs in center and Swisher in right would be a major upgrade over the Brantley/Choo/insert-bad-leftfielder that the Indians dealt with last year.

There would be a clear upgrade defensively. Drew Stubbs is a fantastic centerfielder with great speed. He gets to a bunch of baseballs others done, and has a gun for an arm. Brantley was a good centerfielder, but will be better back in left, solidifying an extremely weak position in 2011. His best defensive numbers were when Brantley was a full Last season, Swisher was a better defender than Choo, and one could make a case that he’s been a more consistent defender over the length of his career. That’s likely been hindered by the fact that he’s played left, center, right and first base for substantial time over his career. With the Indians, he’ll be a rightfielder first, a DH/1B second, so that would only help him moving forward.

Offensively, the new-and-improved, Nick Swisher-led outfield would be transcendental compared to what the Indians had last season with their mish-mash in left. Stubbs has 15-20 homer potential, and Swisher hasn’t hit less than 21 homers since 2004. Sure, there will be a few more K’s, but Stubbs is a right-handed hitter, and Swisher is a switch-hitter. Combine the two with Mark Reynolds, and the Indians left-handed-laden lineup is a thing of the past.

Swisher is also an Ohio boy. He’s a Columbus native who played his college ball at Ohio State, and he’s been an Ohio State fan since he was a baby boy. He’s the type of player that Cleveland fans would really get behind, not only as a hometown boy, but also as a blue collar type player that fits perfectly in the Indians clubhouse.

Swisher has historically been a good clubhouse guy, but there have been reports that he can be a bit annoying in before and after games. In a recent poll of 100 major leaguers, Swisher was voted the third “most hated player” in baseball. An unnamed AL vet said that “being around him is just exhausting.” With that said, most folks say Swisher is a positive influence.

Seriously, there might not be a better player for the Indians to sign this offseason, depending on how much money he’s going to cost them.

Just don’t expect me to jump on the Nick Swisher train any time soon.

Forgive me if I haven’t been through a “player tour” once or twice before, including several with the Tribe over the years. Tours are meant to do a couple of things. Primarily, players and agents will bounce from city-to-city to help drum up the price for their next contract. Swisher is in a prime position with regards to signing a deal. With Hamilton off the market, there are several teams looking for a corner outfielder that are now lining up for Swisher’s services.

It’s believed that Swisher will be visiting several more teams, including the Boston Red Sox, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles. It’s believed that the San Francisco Giants and the Seattle Mariners are not on the planned tour.

If you look at the names on the list outside of the Indians, you’ll see all teams that can certainly consider themselves big market teams with much deeper pockets than the Tribe. It’s unknown what the Indians offered Swisher, but their initial range seemed to be in the four-year, $50 million area. With teams with money in the equation, it’s likely the Indians even upped their offer to four-years and $60 million. I’m still not sure that’s going to get a deal done.

I have to believe that Swisher has $80 million ringing in his head as a top-range number, and there’s a big part of me that thinks Swisher is using the Indians, as many others have done, to set the low-end range. Swisher knows that the Indian offered Victorino $44 million. Swisher knows that the Indians would offer Swisher MORE than $44 million (and he’s worth it). Swisher also knew that by taking this tour after the Josh Hamilton deal that he would more than likely get top-notch dollar.

So, here come the Indians, pulling out all the stops. Tribe management pulled all the spots that you would expect from a hometown club. They threw out a video at Progressive Field for Swisher that included Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer and basketball coach Thad Matta, both encouraging the Swishers to choose the Indians.

They then ate lunch at the Terrace Club, where the Senator, Jim Tressel was waiting to greet him.

In other words, the Indians gave the ole’ college try.

If only it were that easy.

Cleveland wasn’t able to seal the deal, and Swisher and his Hollywood wife, actress JoAnna Garcia, are off to their next town.

Sure, the Indians could end up signing Swisher. Today, there’s a lot of talk about the Indians even being the front-runner. I’m just not buying it.

You know what they say. Fool me once…shame on you. Fool me twice…shame on me. Fool me 100 times…well…shame.

There are many rumors circulating about teams dropping out of the race for Swisher, including the Red Sox and the Giants. Of course, in this crazy time of year, it’s hard to know what’s true, what is planted information, and what is speculation with regards to reporters. The Indians have given Swisher a standing offer, so we shall see what it is, and if he’ll take it. I’d feel a lot better if he’d have walked out with a deal. It’s just near impossible to believe that the Indians will offer more money, or more years. Losing a draft pick is a big deal though.

Like I said…fool me 100 times…

If the Indians don’t sign Swisher, their focus will immediately turn to other likely candidates, such as Cody Ross. Personally, I’m fine with that, as they likely have a better chance to sign Ross than anyone else being mentioned. Here’s the thing. Ross will likely be overvalued at that point. While it’s possible that he could be had for a deal, it’s more probable that a team is grateful that they’ve gotten Ross, who has been fairly productive season last year with the Red Sox.

Ross is searching out a three-year, $25 million deal, and I suppose I’d be buying if the Indians didn’t have any other options, but it does put that Josh Willingham, three-year, $21 million deal into context, doesn’t it? Willingham has been a regular longer, and his numbers are better. Not by much, but he would certainly be the better deal at last year’s cost. Does that mean that the Indians should pass on Ross?

That’s not easy to answer, but if I were the Indians, I’d be continuing to work the phones for a deal that incorporate both Asdrubal Cabrera and Chris Perez. I know that it’s easier said than done, and I also don’t want the Indians to be left in the lurch for right field, but it’s distinctly possible that the Indians could swing a deal that brings in a position player of immense value for Perez and Cabrera.

There’s been a lot of speculation about the Indians with regards to the Angels Kendrys Morales. Would the Indians be able to deal closer Chris Perez to the Angels for Kendrys Morales? Would the Indians even want to? Here’s something to remember about Morales, that not a lot of folks are talking about. He’s not only a Scott Boras client, but he’s also a free agent in 2014. I just don’t see the Indians trading away two years of Perez to the Angels for one year of Morales. I’m not saying the Indians aren’t playing for 2013, but I believe they are putting together a team for MORE than 2013. Morales certainly wouldn’t fit into the plans.

He may be a back-up option, but I certainly don’t think he’s at the forefront with the Tribe.

So what should the Indians do? Not sure there’s an easy answer, but I do know that there is value there for two years of control for both Cabrera and Perez. The Indians won’t deal them unless the right deal becomes available. I don’t necessarily see a fit for both, unless perhaps the Mets would inquire. I’m just not sure they want to take on anything at this point in their franchise history.

With regards to Cabrera, I just can’t get the St. Louis Cardinals out of my head. He seems to fit there, and I really believe that the Indians could inquire about a top pitching prospect, or even one of their top position players. They have Oscar Tavarez, a fantastic hitting outfielder who seems primed to enter the big league fray. They also have a slew of awesome starting pitching prospects, such as Trevor Rosenthal, Shelby Miller, Carlos Martinez and John Gast.

Of course, it’s all speculation, and the Indians actually are finding themselves in a position of control. If they keep Cabrera, they get two years of one of the better infielders in baseball. If they trade Cabrera, they should be able to acquire multiple players that could be impactful. In other words, it’s not a place that the Indians are familiar with. It’s the same with Perez at this point. If they keep him, he’s one of the top closers in baseball. If they can’t, he can provide future value.

The wild card for Swisher appears to be the Los Angeles Dodgers, and there are rumors that they may be looking to deal Andre Ethier. If Ethier goes in a deal, then Swisher would become their top priority. Is it possible that Swisher has a Dodgers timeline? If they don’t make a move for Swisher by Christmas, might the Indians be the second choice? The fear there is that he’ll take any job on the West Coast ahead of the Tribe. That’s why the Giants were a big worry, but they appear to have what they need in the outfield, and are losing interest. That can only help the Tribe.

The Indians designated Russ Canzler for assignment. I like Russ Canzler, and think that he’s a quality minor league player. Here’s the thing though. If you are talking about a guy like Canzler potentially getting major league at bats as a regular, your team isn’t very good. I think it’s important for the culture of the Tribe to begin to get rid of the players that are never going to push for a job. This isn’t against a guy like Canzler, who could potentially fill a role in an organization, but it’s time for the Indians to set the bar higher. Of course, it means that the Indians have to continue to bring in better players. Will see if they can continue that trend.

With everything that’s being said about the Indians, I can’t help but close out my piece this week with a small note on what happened in Connecticut this past week. Baseball is a fantastic pastime, and it can be amazingly therapeutic. With that said, I can’t help but think that our world fundamentally changed this past Friday. I know that I speak for every one of our writers and readers in sending prayers and positive thoughts to the people of Newtown, Connecticut.

Jim is currently the co-site editor, the ATF/Carolina Mudcats/Indians/General Site Columnist, and the co-host of IPI's weekly online radio show, Smoke Signals. You can follow Jim on Twitter @Jim_IPI, or contact him via e-mail at jpete@indiansprospectinsider.com.