Nick Swisher Signs with Indians

I know many Mets fans were hoping to get Nick Swisher under the Christmas tree, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Off the heels of Arizona swiping Cody Ross from under their nose, the Mets lost the switch-hitting Swisher to another big-market club, the Cleveland Indians.

Cleveland, of course, has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Lake Erie, the Cuyahoga River, Playhouse Square Center, Drew Carey, and ALMOST FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE living in the city — how the heck is a small-town team like the Mets supposed to compete with that?

Swisher gets four years, $56M to return close to home (he was born in Columbus, OH).

With Swisher off the table, I know what Mets fans are thinking: “let’s bring back Lastings Milledge!” Unfortunately, the Yakult Swallows locked up L Millz for the next three years for $4.4M (plus an option).

But no worries — even though the Yankees, Braves, Phillies, Tigers, Cardinals, and a few other clubs have been kicking the tires on Scott Hairston, Wallace Matthews of ESPN is reporting that Hairston (known to some fans as “Hariston” or “Harrison”) would prefer to sign with the Mets and play every day. Whew!