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The Cleveland Indians have made several moves this offseason, and on Thursday, they introduced one of their biggest acquisitions. Outfielder Nick Swisher, who signed a four-year, $56 million deal, greeted the Cleveland media.
Swisher immediately brings to Cleveland a bat that should improve the Indians' offense, which was dreadful in 2012. This past season, Cleveland ranked 25th in Major League Baseball with 136 home runs and 22nd with 635 RBIs. The Indians' slugging percentage of .381 ranked 25th, and their .705 OPS was 22nd in MLB.
Over the course of 148 games in 2012 with the New York Yankees, Swisher hit .272/.364/.473 with 24 home runs and 93 RBIs. His batting average, on-base and slugging percentages all bested his career averages of .256/.361/.467, and it marked the eighth straight year he hit at least 21 homers. It was the fourth consecutive season in which Swisher drove in at least 82 runs.
While the Indians are thrilled to have Swisher on board, the 32-year-old outfielder may be even more excited:
"It's going to be great, man. It's going to be super exciting," said Swisher, who erupted in a grin so wide that laughter filled the room. "I can't help it, man. I'm pumped. I'm excited. I feel like I'm smiling a lot."