Nick Swisher Boston's Next Target?

The Red Sox have Mike Napoli, now it seems like they might be ready to take that momentum and roll right along to Nick Swisher. According to Jon Heyman, the Red Sox are already talking with the free agent outfielder out of New York, just minutes after the news of Napoli broke.

Unlike Napoli, however, this might be nothing at all. Nick Cafardo threw Shane Victorino's name into the mix not long after Heyman's tweet, and Scott Lauber has a source which says the Swisher situation is "moving slow". Whether that means they're progressing cautiously or going poorly is not clear.

The Sox are certainly in need of some right field help, and given his ability to play some first and hit from both sides of the plate, Swisher could give them that and then some. If you were to add him to the mix, there'd be all sorts of bizarre arrangements to the outfield, first base, and catching positions that could provide any pitcher with exactly the lineup he doesn't want to see on any given day.

That being said, Swisher is probably one of the more expensive options out there based on how his market seemed to be developing as the season closed. We've already seen the Sox hold fast to three years on Napoli, and with so much time left in the offseason (and plenty of outfielders available), it doesn't seem like Swisher will be jumping to sign with the Sox as fast as possible. Chances are we've got a while to wait to see where he falls.