Nick Swisher free agency: Yankees plan to let Swisher go

The New York Yankees will likely make a qualifying offer to Nick Swisher, but the team hopes that the fan favorite declines the offer and moves on to another team, according to Jon Heyman of CBS.

Swisher, who was in the final year of his contract with the Yankees in 2012, is eligible to receive a one-year, $13.3 million qualifying offer. But according to Heyman, they don't think the right fielder and first baseman plans to accept the offer after another poor postseason.

They believe the 31-year-old is more likely to chase a more lucrative, long-term deal. But they're offering Swisher the option to accept, anyway, because if he declines, they will receive a supplemental draft pick at the end of the first round. This is the first year teams have been able to make qualifying offers rather than offering arbitration.

Swisher has hit .268 with 105 home runs in four years with New York while maintaining a very solid .850 OPS. He won a World Series in his first year, winning over fans with his over-the-top personality and 29 homers in his first two years with the club, but he has hit over .200 in only three of eight postseason series.