Mo' Problems

As if the Yankees did not have enough drama going on already, the will have to face the reality of what Joe Torre’s departure will mean for the rest of the players. The first and most obvious impact will be on free agent Mariano Rivera. Rivera was quoted as saying after the news about Joe Torre broke that the Yankees were “1 of 30 teams now”. Rivera seems genuinely upset at the Yankees organization not only for the way his contract situation was handled but now that Torre will not be back as the Yankees manager. These problems stem all the way back to spring training when Rivera stated his preference to have his contract situation resolved before the season started and then his displeasure when it wasn’t. He later stated that he would test free agency, that the Yankees would not get any home town discount, and now that they are just one of 30 teams. Losing the greatest closer of all time would obviously be a huge blow to the team, and it would likely cause the Yankees to reverse course and revert Joba Chamberlain back into a reliever. There is little doubt in anyone’s mind that if need, Chamberlain could do for the Yankees what Jonathan Papelbon has done for the Red Sox, but he still will not be Mariano Rivera. The Phillies are the most prominent pursuers of Rivera’s services, but it could be conceivable that most of the teams in the league would be willing to convert their current closers into setup men to make room for Rivera. The loss of Rivera would also be detrimental to the psyche of the Yankee fans, as they will be without Joe Torre and now Mariano Rivera and it could set a bad trend for other players with questionable returns such as Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte. My gut instinct still tells me that as long as the Yankees are willing to match any other offer he receives on the open market; Rivera will still be a Yankee next season. Cashman would be wise to resolve this situation quickly if for nothing else then to help sway the other free agents to stay.