The Chicago Tribune reports that the White Sox are actively shopping Javier Vazquez and Nick Swisher this winter. Vazquez is a stathead darling who consistently draws praise for his excellent peripheral numbers but who rarely dominates over long stretches the way one might expect. That said, if there’s any truth to the old Bret Saberhagen odd/even year thing, then this might not be a bad time to acquire Vazquez:

Vazquez in even years

1998: 69 ERA+
2000: 119
2002: 108
2004: 92
2006: 98
2008: 98

Vazquez in odd years

1999: 89 ERA+
2001: 130
2003: 139
2005: 100
2007: 127

I’m not saying I necessarily believe there’s a predictable pattern here, but hey, you never know.

We were talking about outfielders?

Meanwhile, over in the Swisher corner, didn’t the White Sox just trade for him? And didn’t he just have a bad year? I’m thinking that unless they believe he’s washed up at age 27 (Ben Grieve sends his regards [note to self: don’t trade for young Oakland outfielders]), they’re better off holding at this point because his value is… well, look at his last two seasons and you tell me:

2007: .262/.381/.455, 127 OPS+
2008: .219/.332/.410, 92

Swisher’s list of most comparable players through age 27 reads like a who’s who of disappointment: Greg Vaughn, Jose Cruz Jr., Cory Snyder, Carmelo Martinez, Phil Plantier, Preston Wilson, Austin Kearns. Those are some decent players, but the early returns on guys like Cruz, Plantier, and Kearns suggested something more than “decent.”

His own past performance and list of comps notwithstanding, nobody knows what the future holds for Swisher in terms of performance — the best we can do is make educated guesses. That said, Swisher doesn’t strike me as a particularly hot commodity at the moment, unless it’s in a buy-low situation. And if the White Sox are willing to sell low, then wouldn’t they be better off holding?

The only trouble is that, if you can parse anything from GM Kenny Williams’ series of one-word responses in the Tribune article, Swisher’s status in the current lineup is far from certain. Williams states that Swisher won’t play center field, where he probably gives a team its greatest value (unless he really can’t handle the position, in which case why do teams keep throwing him out there?). The article also indicates that he may not be able to displace the older, declining, and more firmly entrenched Paul Konerko at first base. The team isn’t hurting for corner outfielders, and a future Hall of Famer occupies the DH spot. Where does that leave Swisher?

It’s an awkward situation, to be sure, and one that may not be easily or happily resolved. Take a productive center fielder, turn him into an unproductive first baseman, and then try to flip him for something of value. That’s not a strategy I would want to adopt, but what the heck do I know?