Three Mo' Years

While he does not seem happy about it, Yankee fans should rejoice that Mariano Rivera has given the Yankees a verbal commitment to accept the three year, $45 million offer. Rivera was holding out for a fourth year or at least for an option year tacked on at the end. Rivera has been continuously ignored in his requests to take care of a contract extension before this season, of the departure of Joe Torre, and now of not getting the fourth year in his contract at all. He was also annoyed at comments directed at his advanced age. Sources close to the closer noted that he was quite upset with the whole situation, but he could not have been that upset if he is still going to accept the contract offer anyway. It speaks to how badly Rivera must have really wanted to stay a Yankee if he still took the offer after everything. Despite what he said, it never really seemed like a real possibility that he would sign somewhere else anyway. $15 million a year is plenty fair for a closer who took a small step backwards last season anyway, but it is also money well spent to keep the greatest closer of all time on the team. Retaining Rivera allows the Yankees more time to groom a new closer, or at least hope that a better on then Francisco Cordero becomes available on the open market. Since Rivera will likely remain as the closer through the duration of his contract (even if he may not be the best pitcher in the bullpen at the end of the contract), it will give the Yankees three years to see if Humberto Sanchez, JB Cox, Kevan Whelan, or any of the other young pitchers have what it takes to step up and replace Rivera. It also gives them more tie to evaluate Joba Chamberlain in the starting rotation and see if that or the closer’s role will be better suited for him. Mariano Rivera once said that he wants to pitch in the new Yankees stadium and this contract will allow him to do so and then some (barring a catastrophic injury). It also brings the Yankees within one step (two if you count Luis Vizcaino) of bringing back all of their important free agents, with Andy Pettitte still in limbo as of whether or not he wants to pitch again. Even if Pettitte does decide to hang them up, at least Yankee fans can be comforted by the thought of hearing “Enter Sandman” being blasted from the stadium sound system for another three years.