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To a 3 year deal per ESPNews.
Not sure of the money but that's a beastly 1-2 combo and future successor to Rivera in two years.
Not sure of the money but that's a beastly 1-2 combo and future successor to Rivera in two years.
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Originally posted by Nick Mangold -
Soriano to Rivera :jizz:soriano deal is thought to be for about $35 million for 3 yrs
We need to strengthen our rotation, we still have about 20 mill left. -
Just over $11.5 million for a set-up man, per season, along with dropping their first round pick. From reading around, it seems like this is one of the deeper/deepest drafts in recent times. Soriano is a beast, but for that cost, I don't know. It's an obvious improvement, and the Yankees don't need to worry about money, so I guess, in the end, fuck it, why not?Comment
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they still need to bolster their rotation if they wanna stay at the top of the AL East. CC and Hughes are solid, but Burnett isnt anything special. unfortunately, there isnt a whole lot of FA talent out there in terms of starting pitchingComment
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That is a ridiculous amount of money to pay a set-up man, I dont care how good the he is.Comment
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It's true, and I started realizing it halfway through my post. I mean, without having to worry about salary cap space in baseball, if you have the money, spend it. It's not like it's being wasted on a terrible talent. There's a difference between this and a contract like Barry Zito's. Zito hasn't done shit (worse than shit), but Soriano will perform well for the Yankees.Comment
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so at some point down the road, will he become the closer once rivera retires....
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Its only a 3-year deal, and he's already over 30, so probably not, unless Mo completely falls off the shelf this year or next.Comment
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Fun fact: The Yankees bullpen now makes more then the entire Devil Rays roster next season.Comment
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I think Burnett will bounce back and be much better this year.Comment
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The Yankees made a hairpin turn when they decided Thursday to sign All-Star closer Rafael Soriano to become a set-up man and perhaps their closer-in-waiting.
Less than a week earlier, GM Brian Cashman had said he wouldn't give up the first-round draft pick required to ink Soriano. But Hal and Hank Steinbrenner didn't agree with his game plan - according to a source familiar with the Yankees' thinking - and overruled him, giving the righthander a deal that could ultimately go to three years and pay him $35 million.
The overwhelming concern among the Yankee brass, the source said, was that the club was going into the season with an uncertain starting rotation and little protection for closer Mariano Rivera. The move leaves the team without the draft pick Cashman coveted, but with one of the best bullpens in baseball.
According to the source, the Steinbrenners were bothered by Cashman's blueprint. One of the big issues was that Joba Chamberlain, a prized prospect yet to reach an expected high ceiling, was going to be Rivera's primary set-up man.
Cashman had maintained his confidence in homegrown relievers Chamberlain and David Robertson, but Bombers' braintrust did not. If nothing else, they saw Soriano, coming off a career best 45-save season with a 1.73 ERA, as a premium insurance policy they couldn't pass up.
The Yankees did not add free agent ace lefty Cliff Lee and may yet lose lefty Andy Pettitte, who is undecided on whether to play in 2011. The Steinbrenners deemed the draft pick that Cashman so highly valued - the 31st overall in next June's draft - a small price to pay considering the state of the staff going into the season.
The Yankees still are looking to add a righty-hitting backup outfielder and have interest in Andruw Jones. They are also monitoring possible starting-pitching reclamation projects.
Cashman has prized his player development system and fiercely protected the Yankees' draft picks - except those given up in the offseason before 2009 when he signed CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira and the Bombers went on to win the World Series. In the coming draft, the Red Sox have four of the first 40 picks and the Rays reportedly have at least seven between Nos. 24 and 51.
When Lee spurned the Yankees, and Cashman was unable to initiate substantive trade talks with Seattle about Felix Hernandez, the GM had no clear way to upgrade the starting rotation. There were no other front-line starting pitchers - other than been-there-done-that Carl Pavano - and no other method to improve the team aside from upgrading the bullpen corps.
Cashman had signed Mets lefty reliever Pedro Feliciano and seemed content to stick with the group he had. His superiors were not satisfied with that.
Cashman and Soriano - whose agent is Scott Boras - are going to view this contract, with its annual $1.5 million opt-outs, as a year-to-year deal. It doesn't necessarily mean the Yankees are committed to anointing him the closer in 2013.
Reportedly, Boras was seeking a deal of at least three years and $45 million for Soriano as a closer, but the market didn't develop that way. The Angels and Rangers passed on him, and Detroit signed ex-Ray Joaquin Benoit. Should such demand develop next year, Soriano could opt out and seek a new contract elsewhere.Comment
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