Kuzul

The role of closer in Major League Baseball is among the most important in the game.  Closers are constantly relied upon in tough situations, with the game on the line.

A good closer can propel a team into the playoffs and to postseason success.  Teams with unreliable stoppers pitching the ninth inning often find themselves struggling in mediocrity and are usually playing golf in October. 

So who were the five most valuable closers in 2012?

Here is a breakdown of the five most valuable ninth-inning saviors from the past season. 

Begin Slideshow

We all knew this news was eventually coming soon.

Now, it’ll be a reality within the next few days.

Rafael Soriano, who spent the 2012 season as the New York Yankees fill-in closer in place of Mariano Rivera, will likely opt out of the final year of his contract, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Soriano signed with the Yankees in the winter of 2010 for three years and $35 million and had it built into the contract that he could opt out after each of the first two seasons.

Soriano struggled in his first season with the Yankees in 2011, posting a 4.12 ERA in 42 appearances and lost his setup role to David Robertson.

However in 2012, Soriano reverted back to his All-Star form, filling in for Rivera after he tore his ACL back in May at Kansas City.

Soriano posted a 2.26 ERA in 54 games and saved 42 games for the Yankees in the regular season.

The 32-year-old has three days after the World Series ends to decide if he is opting out of his $14 million option for 2013 to test free agency and attempt to get a multi-year deal on the free-agent market.

With Rivera likely returning for 2013, plus the emergence of Robertson in the setup role, Sherman said it’s very unlikely that the Yankees will extend Soriano long-term.

It does, however, leave a big hole in the back of the bullpen because of how dominant Soriano was for the Yankees in 2012.

The Yankees will be hoping for a healthy David Aardsma to return to form and are still waiting to see if Joba Chamberlain reverts back to his 2007-08 reliever form, but those are two big what-ifs.

Plus, how will Rivera hold up after coming off ACL surgery as a 43-year-old?

That’s why Soriano opting out hurts the bullpen, but knowing Brian Cashman, he’ll find a way to piece it together with inexpensive options.

Before Saturday, Heath Bell’s name came up in a few rumors in a potential trade involving Alex Rodriguez and the Miami Marlins, but Bell was just traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, so that likely takes him out of any potential deals.

Soriano leaving, however, takes $14 million off the payroll for 2013, and while I liked Soriano in the bullpen, Cashman can use that money towards two or three relievers in 2013.

If Soriano ends up getting one last multi-year contract in 2013, then his situation worked out perfectly with the Yankees.

Either way, Cashman‘s job for 2013 just got more interesting.

Stay tuned, Yankees Universe.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Rafael Soriano stepped up in a huge way this season, taking over the closer role vacated when future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera tore his ACL early on in the season. This could lead to him opting out after the World Series.

Soriano saved 42 games and recorded an ERA of 2.26. He struck out 69 batters in 67.2 innings.

His deal with the New York Yankees from two seasons ago was structured so he could opt out at the end of last season.

His 2011 season was a bit of an up-and-down campaign, so it was obvious that he was not going to opt out: The salary he would make in 2012 would not be matched by any team interested in his services.

After the year he just compiled, though, he has the opportunity to make more money. Hence, opting out would be the best decision on his part.

He does have until three days after the World Series to decide whether or not he will become a free agent. Should he stay with the Yankees, he’ll make $14 million in 2013. If he declines, he’ll be paid a $1.5 million buyout.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post interviewed Soriano’s agent, Scott Boras, and was given the implication that Soriano will test the market.

Should Soriano opt out, it’s unlikely that the Yankees will attempt to bring him back. Rivera is expected to return next season, so Soriano would once again become one of the most expensive setup men in the league.

David Robertson can easily fill that role, as can minor leaguer Mark Montgomery (some believe Montgomery to be the heir to the throne of Rivera once he retires).

Soriano will be remembered for his strong showing in 2012, but if he opts out, it’ll likely be the last time he’s seen in pinstripes.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Michael Pineda, the future staff ace, didn’t make it out of spring training. Mariano Rivera, the closer of all closers, was sidelined for the season by a freakish injury suffered while shagging fly balls during batting practice in Kansas City.

Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira are putting up numbers that would be acceptable for players making half their salary, and catcher Russell Martin is struggling to hit his weight.

And yet here are the New York Yankees sailing along with the best record in baseball at the All-Star break.

Why?

Well, because Derek Jeter carried them through a difficult first month or so of the season. Andy Pettitte came out of retirement to solidify the starting rotation. Rafael Soriano stepped in admirably for Rivera. And a cast of extras on the bench and in the bullpen has responded with timely hits and shutdown relief work.

The Yankees are winning even though Robinson Cano and perhaps Jeter will finish the season with a batting average near or above .300. The Bronx Bombers are winning because they are living up to their nickname by leading the majors in home runs.

So while CC Sabathia may be the only starter you may bet the house on every time he pitches, the Yankees are getting contributions from all 25 players on the roster. One of their strengths is their depth, and that has enabled them to survive injuries to key players such as Rivera, Brett Gardner and Pineda.

Let’s give props to some of those who have played a supporting role.

Begin Slideshow

Coming off of a three-game sweep of baseball’s sweetheart team in Washington, the Yankees have vaulted to the top of nearly every version of MLB‘s power rankings. 

New York’s first 10-game winning streak since 2009 (the year they won No. 27) has put the Yankees back atop the competitive AL East by two-and-a-half games and has seemingly made them the favorites to represent the American League in the World Series. 

But not so fast, Yankee Universe. Your team isn’t flawless. 

Yes, the Yankees are undoubtedly the hottest team in the game at the moment. They lead all of baseball in home runs and fielding percentage. They rank in the top 10 in both runs scored and team ERA, and they have one of the strongest bullpens in the bigs despite an injury to the best closer the game has ever seen.

But I’m still not convinced. I am not yet certain that New York’s aging roster can hold off hungry divisional opponents in Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore and even Boston. I haven’t seen enough to tell me that, if they make it, the Yankees can beat the likes of Texas, Los Angeles or Detroit in a five- or seven-game playoff series. 

Because nothing is decided in June.

But if the current date doesn’t convince you that it is too early to judge playoff contenders, then maybe some facts will. 

Here are a few factors that separate the New York Yankees from greatness.

Begin Slideshow

Matt Snyder of CBSSports.com reports that the New York Yankees announced Tuesday afternoon that reliever David Robertson is being placed on the DL with a strained left oblique muscle.

Right-hander Cody Eppley has been recalled, according to Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News.

This is just the latest item of bad news for the Yankees, who have been plagued by the injury bug for the past two weeks. Not only did it end the season of the greatest closer of all time, it delayed the return of speedy outfielder Brett Gardner (who suffered a setback in rehab last week) and forced an early end to Ivan Nova’s outing Monday evening in Baltimore (due to a sprained ankle).

David Phelps would be the likely choice to return to the rotation if Nova misses any starts, since he has been much better as a starter this year than Freddy Garcia.

Robertson had assumed closing duties after future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera tore his ACL. That injury occurred while he was catching fly balls in the outfield in Kansas City on May 3rd.

Robertson picked up his first save of the season against Tampa Bay on May 8th, but allowed a hit and two walks in the process. The next evening, he blew the save against the Rays, allowing four runs on three hits and a walk, raising his ERA to 2.63 on the season. He began the evening with an ERA of 0.00.

Rafael Soriano picked up the save against Tampa Bay on May 10th, the night after Robertson’s ugly effort, though Soriano did allow an earned run on one hit. Soriano was called upon not because of Robertson’s ineffectiveness, but merely because Robertson had pitched two days in a row and had thrown a lot of pitches.

But Soriano was called upon again on Monday night in Baltimore, even though Robertson was ostensibly fresh. Soriano would have had a perfect ninth, but Eric Chavez committed an error. Unflapped, Soriano promptly retired the next batter to end the game and seal the comeback victory.

It emerged that Robertson was unavailable due to an oblique issue, and that landed him on the DL less than 24 hours later.

It would be almost impossible to argue that Soriano is a better pitcher than Robertson, since the numbers stack up in favor of the latter. Soriano posted a 4.12 ERA last season and sports a robust 1.57 WHIP this year, with 13 K in 14 IP. By contrast, Robertson delivered an unreal 1.08 ERA with 100 K in 66.2 IP last year, and has already struck out 24 batters in 14.1 IP this season.

But as Yankees fans are swiftly finding out—after living with the greatness of Mariano in the ninth since 1997—closing the door in the ninth inning takes a special kind of pitcher. It’s not necessarily your best pitcher, or the guy that strikes out the most batters, but a uniquely stoic candidate that has experience and willful amnesia.

Rafael Soriano saved 45 games for Tampa Bay in 2010, and 27 for Atlanta in 2009, while Robertson has just four career saves. While no one will mistake him for Mo, Soriano has the experience.

He also has the closer-type contract. Against the better judgment of GM Brian Cashman, the Yankees signed Soriano to a three-year, $35 million deal. Soriano then quickly lost his eighth-inning role to the flame-throwing Robertson in 2011.

But in a world without Mariano, Soriano is the best candidate to close games for the Yankees, at least for this season. Being that no pitcher on the planet could possibly fill Rivera’s shoes, the Yankees would be foolhardy to ruin the confidence of a young up-and-coming reliever like Robertson.

He works like a charm in the eighth inning, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Let Soriano handle the ninth inning. He has the experience and he certainly has the stoic nature required to close. And if he fails spectacularly, at least he’s being handsomely paid for his troubles. Better to ruin the confidence of a 32-year-old and run him out of town in 2013 than to destroy a 27-year-old who proved last year he’s capable of being practically unhittable.

Robertson needs to mature as a pitcher anyway. He showed again and again last year that he was good at getting out of jams. But he had ample opportunity to demonstrate that because he was so good at getting himself into those jams. It was almost like he wanted to load the bases just so he could strike out the side.

That was something Mariano never did. Keep it boring, keep the bases empty, get the outs one-two-three, shake hands and go home. Robertson makes his appearances so thrilling that his Baseball Reference page actually lists his nickname as “Houdini.”

For now, the injury to Robertson guarantees that Soriano will be closing games. Unless he blows it, he could remain the closer even once Robertson returns.

Robertson can focus on getting healthy and spend some time reflecting on the bumpy week-and-a-half he spent as the closer. There’s no doubt he can get better and his brief trial by fire should motivate him to work on translating his eighth inning success to the ninth.

But as fate would have it, the ninth inning now belongs to Rafael Soriano. This is what he wanted when he came to New York and took the big money. This is his opportunity. He should sink his teeth into it and not let go—at least not until Robertson is ready to snatch it away from him.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Yankees may have left spring training with questions about their starting rotation, but the bullpen was considered a strength.

How many teams could afford to have Rafael Soriano, who saved 45 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, as their seventh-inning go-to guy?

With David Robertson in the setup role and Mariano Rivera closing, all the Yankees were hoping for were six good innings from everyone in the rotation not named CC Sabathia.

That was then—this is now. Losing Rivera to a torn ACL when he caught his spikes on the warning track shagging flies in Kansas City immediately cast a shadow over the Yankees’ expectations of getting back to the World Series this season.

Exit Sandman.

David Robertson got the first shot at replacing Rivera, and he appeared to be a different pitcher than the one who had been virtually untouchable since the beginning of 2011.

Robertson earned a shaky save in his first closing opportunity, and then blew a save and the game in his second appearance.

Now, Robertson is suffering from soreness in his left ribcage, which has landed him on the 15-day disabled list, according the Yankees’ official Twitter account:

RHP David Robertson placed on 15-day DL with left oblique strain; RHP Cody Eppley recalled from SWB: atmlb.com/JeP6BE

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 15, 2012

Now no one knows when he will be healthy enough to get another shot.

Enter Soriano.

Just a few weeks ago, we were advocating trading him because it didn’t seem to make sense to pay anyone $11 million to pitch the seventh inning.

A day after that article, Rivera tore his ACL and Soriano’s stock took off.

He may not be Rivera—no one is—but given the injuries and ineffectiveness that have plagued a number of closers around the majors this season, Soriano almost immediately moves to the top of the list.

We understand why manager Joe Girardi gave Robertson first crack at the job.

He earned it with his performance, and he was looking increasingly like Rivera’s heir apparent.

What may have been overlooked was the fact that Soriano was signed to a three-year free-agent contract—after his career year in 2010—to become the Yankees’ setup man and perhaps the successor to Rivera.

Soriano got off to a slow start in 2011 before being injured. That gave Robertson an opportunity to pitch the eighth inning, and he excelled.

A lot of baseball people, however, say that going from the setup role to closing is a big leap in responsibility and the pressure it brings.

Robertson never had that responsibility before; Soriano had been through it in 2010, when the Rays made the playoffs.

Perhaps Robertson injured his ribcage because he was trying too hard and overthrowing. 

Soriano, in contrast, is well-acquainted with closing.

He had six saves and a 1.80 ERA in the last month of the 2010 season, when the pressure was the greatest.

He did have a spotty postseason for the Rays, picking up a save in Game 4 against the Texas Rangers, but giving up runs in his two other appearances.

Nonetheless, as the Yankees’ pitching problems mount with Ivan Nova’s ankle injury, Soriano gives them some stability for the ninth inning.

He is 2-0 this season with a 2.57 ERA and has converted his only two save opportunities.

More importantly, he has been there and done that.

And the Yankees don’t have the luxury of conducting auditions for Rivera’s job right now. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As the Hot Stove season continues through Christmas, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the best one-year rentals in history.

Namely, players who, whether by free agency or, more likely, trade, ended up on a different team for one season before ultimately peacing out from that team at season’s end (usually via free agency).

Looking at every position, here are the best one-year rentals in MLB history.

Begin Slideshow

Courtesy of Yankees ‘n More

Caught this New York Post story Tuesday morning about New York Yankees setup man Rafael Soriano and his aversion to cold weather, which makes him just like every other baseball player in the history of the sport.

What caught my eye in this story was this line from Brian Costello: “The Yankees cannot afford for this partnership to fail. Soriano is armed with a three-year deal. He can opt out after each of the first two seasons…”

REALLY??? THIS is the deal the Yankees cannot afford to have go bad???

Ridiculous!

New York has already received more in return for the $36 million they, potentially, have invested in Soriano than they EVER got for the $39 million they wasted on Carl Pavano. By the way, in case you don’t pay attention to the news, the dollar bills the Yankees pay Soriano aren’t worth NEARLY as much as those they handed over several years ago to Pavano.

Moreover, if this Soriano deal has the potential to be a back-breaker for the Yankees, imagine the damage that will be done by the Derek Jeter contract. New York owes Jeter at least $15 million MORE than they owe Soriano, and over the same time frame.

The Yankees only WISH Jeter had opt-out clauses in his deal. Preferably one that kicks in the day after he finally limps past the 3,000-hit mark. At least Soriano is still a quality baseball player, one who is more than capable of performing at an All-Star level. Jeter could not be more done. He can’t hit mediocre fastballs and his range is nonexistent.

The reality, of course, is that NEITHER deal will significantly harm the Yankees baseball operation, at least not from a financial aspect. If Jeter and Soriano never play another inning, the Yankees can write those checks and never miss the money.

The only real issue is having to cater to Jeter’s ego and managing team morale and the temperature of the clubhouse. Only because Jeter is Jeter, the Yankees have to continue to start him at shortstop every day and bat him at the top of the order, neither of which is merited by his current level of play.

If Soriano completely flames out, at least the Yankees can, without the slightest hesitation, do what’s best for the team and toss him out with the next load of trash. No such luck with Jeter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Yankees bullpen has received limitless hype and praise early in the season, and they are already being dubbed as the best in MLB—as well as the best in NY since 1996.

While the group has accomplished nothing to this point, this does not mean that a proper nickname should not be added to the front of the hype machine.

It took mere hours for “Miami Thrice” to be created, and “The Fab Five” represents a team that never won a championship in its short time together.

The Philadelphia Phillies already had “the best rotation in MLB history” on April 5th—so there is plenty of precedent to this trend.

I would normally ignore the desire to overreact and create catchy names for the Yankees trio, but then “Jo-So-Mo” suddenly jumped out of Michael Kay’s mouth and into my disappointed ear drums.

While my list is certainly no Mona Lisa, something had to be done in order to find a better option than the Yankees broadcast team could come up with on their own.

Here is a list of 10 possibilities I’m throwing onto the table, and it’s up to all of you to pick your favorites—or add others into the discussion.

Let’s have some fun with this Yankee fans!

Begin Slideshow