Kuzul

FINALLY!

The Yankees have finally made a move this winter that can be considered a big move.

After virtually being very inactive all winter, the Yankees made a bold move to bolster their bullpen by signing former Tampa Bay Rays closer Rafael Soriano to a three-year deal worth about $35 million.

The Yankees basically gave Soriano closer money to be their setup man to Mariano Rivera, but at this point of the season, the Yankees had to do it.

The reports came late Thursday night from SI and WFAN’s Jon Heyman and ESPN’s Andrew Marchand.

Signing Soriano had to be done, mostly because the Yankees are getting the sense that Andy Pettitte is leaning heavily towards retirement because he probably won’t be starting off the 2011 season in pinstripes.

The 31 year old pitched tremendously last season, saving 45 games to a 1.73 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP for the Rays last season.

Now, it looks like Soriano could be the potential heir to Rivera whenever he decides to retire.

The Yankees bullpen has gotten much stronger, putting Soriano in a bullpen that includes Pedro Feliciano, David Robertson, Boone Logan, Joba Chamberlain and eventually Damaso Marte to go along with Rivera.

You might have to wonder now with Soriano in the picture, might that enhance the possibility of the Yankees dealing away Chamberlain since he’s been very inconsistent and at times, horrible as the setup man for Rivera.

With the Yankees signing Soriano, the Yankees can still look to add a fourth outfielder, whether it be Andruw Jones or Johnny Damon, and possibly another starting pitcher to go along with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes.

According to Heyman, after signing Soriano, the Yankees still have around $20 million to spend, which is plenty of money to offer on both situations the Yankees still need.

Honestly, I was a little shocked to see the Yankees actually landed Soriano because there were teams still out there who could have used Soriano as a closer.

The White Sox were eyeing Soriano, but they didn’t want to spend the money and the Angels dropped out of the hunt.

When I did a free agency story back in early December, I had predicted the Angels to land Soriano, along with Adrian Beltre and Carl Crawford.

The Angels landed none of those players, in fact, their biggest signing this winter has been left-handed reliever Scott Downs.

I was also a little shocked because Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman had said he wasn’t willing to part with his first round draft pick for Soriano.

I guess after a while, your plans change.

But the Yankees finally have added some much needed pitching to bolster a bullpen that was a little suspect in 2011, especially in the ALCS against the Rangers that they lost 4-2.

You can be critical about the money, and you can be critical about losing the draft pick, but after how this winter has gone, the Yankees needed to make a bold move.

Getting Soriano was the right move to make.

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Rafael Soriano has signed a three-year, $35 million dollar deal according to multiple reports. The former Ray was 45-48 in save chances in 2010, which led the AL.

Of American League relievers with at least 40 innings of work, Soriano was fifth in ERA (1.73) and second in WHIP (0.80).

The move marks the first major addition for the Yankees this offseason, who have thus far been considered one of the biggest losers in this year’s free agency bonanza.

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In an offseason of head scratching and a whole lot of nothing, the Yankees have finally made a move to make the fans happy. 

By signing Rafael Soriano, the Yankees have solidified their bullpen into the strongest in all of baseball. With Mariano Rivera at closer, Rafael Soriano at setup, and Pedro Feliciano, David Roberston and Joba Chamberlain as middle relief, the Yankees can start to make baseball games a lot shorter than nine innings. 

In 2010, Soriano had an ERA of 1.73, 45 saves, a WHIP of .80 and 57 K’s. That’s the three most saves in the entire MLB, and amongst the best ERA, WHIP and K/9. 

Having two of the best closers in the entire game makes things a lot easier on a questionable rotation, something the Yankees will likely address, now that it is their only issue. 

A three-year-deal for Soriano would currently give him the closer job on his third year, assuming Rivera retires after his recently-signed two-year-deal. 

Aside from being just a great closer, Soriano is a strikeout pitcher who can throw to either lefties or righties with little variation.

The only drawback to this deal, is that the Yankees will lose a first-round draft pick to the Tampa Bay Rays because Soriano is a type-A free agent. To me, that isn’t that bad of a break.

Sure, it hurts to lose a draft pick, especially to a division rival, but draft picks can be busts. We already know Soriano is not a bust, and he will be facing the exact same teams he faced with the Rays, so we won’t have to worry about a Javier Vazquez type situation.

Speaking of Javy, the Yankees will be getting a pick from the Florida Marlins, so things will work out just fine. Also, losing one draft pick isn’t nearly as costly as what the Yankees would have had to give up in order to obtain Joakim Soria. Yes, I like Soria more as player, but this deal is working out a lot better for the Yankees.

Yet again, Cashman has shown why he’s the man for the Yankees. He showed patience really is a virtue, and maintaining his head after losing out on Cliff Lee really paid off. They didn’t spring for the first deal they can sign, but instead they waited it out and made the smartest decisions for the organization. 

When you’re an opposing player and you see Pedro Feliciano, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera sitting out there in the bullpen, I don’t think your’e going to like your chances of getting many runs, let alone hits in the late innings of a game. 

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Looks like the Yanks finally got their big signing of the offseason. After missing out on Cliff Lee, they needed to make a splash. 

The Yankees now have a new setup man and an heir to the Mariano Rivera throne.

The details are still being worked out, but the contract looks to be a three-year deal worth $35 million.

Soriano, though, has the ability to opt out after the first or second year. If he does this, he will make $11.5 million or $21.5 million respectively.

This leaves some questions yet to be answered. What will happen to David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain with Soriano coming in? Are they now trade bait?

In the coming months we will see what sort of changes this type of deal will bring, but this is a huge move by the Yanks.

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Rafael Soriano has reportedly agreed to a three-year deal worth $35 million with the New York Yankees. Sports Illustrated‘s Jon Heyman was the first to report the deal and says that the deal will allow Soriano to opt out after either of the first two years.  

The deal makes little to no sense, as Brian Cashman has been continuously saying that he wouldn’t surrender his first-round pick to sign a Type-A free agent.  As a result of the signing, the pesky Tampa Bay Rays will receive the Yankees’ first-round draft pick in this year’s draft.  

Rafael Soriano will almost certainly be the primary setup man for legendary closer Mariano Rivera.  The role is odd for Soriano considering he was probably one of the best closers in baseball last year.  Soriano posted a robust 1.73 ERA and had a 8.2 K/9 with an extremely low BB/9 as well.

This move by the Yankees is a very nice addition.  New York adds a powerful and reliable pitcher with the potential to close if Mo goes down.  It also gives the Yankees some comfort in regards to their bullpen as the pen is starting to look very solid.  It also means that if Mariano retires at some point in the next few years, they won’t have to look far to find his replacement.

With the move, the Yankees now have a little over $20 million to spend on improving their team.  The Yankees will probably use the remaining cash on a designated hitter and to hopefully bolster their starting rotation.

I believe that this is a good investment for the Yankees and one that provides them with a stable bullpen for the near future.  It also provides them with a backup plan at the closers role if Mo should get injured or retire.  It is a solid move for the Yanks and one that will pay dividends. 

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Despite initially not expressing interest in signing him, the New York Yankees have signed reliever Rafael Soriano to a three-year, $35 million contract, and while they are overpaying him, here is why the acquisition is a smart one.

The Yankees’ pitching staff was in need of some reinforcements, particularly in the bullpen, after Kerry Wood chose to head back to Chicago and sign with the Cubs. While you could argue that it is a luxury signing to bring in a guy who is coming off a terrific season closing as a set-up guy to the best closer in the game in Mariano Rivera, paying top dollar for the best back-end of any bullpen in baseball is a wise move.

Plus Soriano was awesome last season against the Boston Red Sox, posting a 1.50 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and a .143 batting average against the Sox last season. After what has transpired this offseason, in which the hated Red Sox probably leapfrogged the Yanks in the American League East, bringing in Soriano to form what is know a very good bullpen is a very wise move. 

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Finally, the New York Yankees got their man by signing closer Rafael Soriano.
 
This recent good news came from a tweet by Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated just minutes ago, of the reported three-year, $35 million dollar deal.
 
Well, Yankee fans will sleep well tonight, because Soriano to Mariano is without question the best one to punch to shut down opponents in the eighth and ninth innings. Soriano was a Tampa Bay Ray in 2009, so he is already familiar with the competitive AL East.
 
Strength in a team’s bullpen and closer are absolutely vital in winning games.
 
A solid bullpen takes pressure off the starting rotation to have to go more than five to six innings.
 
In tight game circumstances, if your relievers have the ability to shut down hitters, it closes the opponent’s capability to score, inevitably giving a team a better shot at winning more games.
 
Soriano was hands-down the best closer in the American League and most would say in all of baseball in 2010. Soriano posted 45 saves in 64 attempts, giving up just four home-runs, two walks and striking out 57 in 62.1 innings of work.
 
It puts the Yankees back in contention, considering what the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies have accomplished this off-season.
 
Something BIG had to be done in the Bronx to send a message that the Yankees still want to win.
 
Now that message has been sent, and in my opinion, this move makes the Bombers lethal for 2011.
 
Get ready for a little….pinstriped R&R in 2011.
 
 
 

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman has reported the New York Yankees have finally landed a top free agent. All-Star closer Rafael Soriano and the Yankees have agreed to terms in a deal reportedly worth $35 million over three years, according to HardBallTalk.com.

Soriano will most likely be the setup man for the Yankees’ veteran reliever Mariano Rivera.

I reported a few days ago that the Yankees were still interested in Soriano, and yet he was still being pursued by other teams. With the signing, the Yankees will have to give up a first round pick to the Tampa Bay Rays since Soriano is a Type A free agent.

The contract is pretty hefty for a setup man, but this is the only big deal the Yankees have made this offseason. This is also a great opportunity for Soriano’s future. If Rivera retires at the end of the season or his numbers start to dwindle, expect Soriano to fulfill the closer role.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Major League Baseball free agency period is beginning to wind down. Adrian Beltre has signed with the Texas Rangers, Matt Garza is now a Chicago Cub after a big trade and many teams have wrapped up signing players for the 2011 season.

Other free agents have not been as lucky. Rafael Soriano is still looking for a club, as are Brian Fuentes, Eric Chavez and others. Teams still have openings on their roster for talent, and even as we speak players are being signed to deals. What are the top MLB rumors right now? Is Rafael Soriano close to a deal? Who did the San Diego Padres just sign? Could Jim Thome be on a new team next year?

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Happy New Year Bleacher Report, hope your 2011 is a good one for all of you.

For the Yankees, they are looking to have a strong 2011 after a disappointing end to the 2010 season. So far, they’ve re-signed Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, brining in Russell Martin and Pedro Feliciano as well.

Their main priority was getting stronger in the pitching department, but so far they have failed. They made a huge pitch to Cliff Lee, who turned them down to return to the Phillies.

Right now, they are waiting to hear back from Andy Pettitte, who has been heavily rumored to be leaning towards retirement to spend time with his family.

While the Yankees have been exploring the leftover options on the pitching market, they are also considering bolstering the bullpen.

According to Andrew Marchand of ESPN, the Yankees have been in contact with Scott Boras with the possibility of bringing in Rafael Soriano.

Soriano right now is probably the best closer on the free agent market. He had a fine season with the Rays last year, posting a 1.73 ERA with 46 saves for the AL East Champions.

Tampa has already let go of Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena and are possibly on the verge of trading away Matt Garza to save payroll, so Soriano will be searching for a new home for 2011.

If Pettitte does decide to retire, it’s been rumored that the Yankees might make an aggressive pursuit for Soriano to create a lock-down bullpen, one that the Yankees haven’t had since the days of Rivera and John Wetteland in 1996.

If the Yankees were to get Soriano, they would have to surrender a first-round draft pick to the Rays, but the Yankees also can be compensated with a draft pick due to Javier Vazquez signing with the Marlins.

As of right now, the Yankees don’t have an imminent heir to Rivera’s closer job if he retires anytime soon, and they don’t have a main setup man after Kerry Wood turned down more money to return to the Cubs this winter.

The Yankees could consider Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson for the setup role, but both have had their struggles in the past, so Soriano would be an instant upgrade to the bullpen and a much better option to follow in Rivera’s footsteps.

The White Sox are said to be interested in Soriano after letting Bobby Jenks go, and the Angels have expressed interest after losing out on Adrian Beltre and Carl Crawford this winter as well. But the Angels also signed Scott Downs to a three-year deal, plus already have Fernando Rodney as their current closer.

Although Soriano is a solid closer and could easily get a closing job this winter, he has said he would be a setup man for only one team, meaning the Yankees.

Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman also said that by missing out on Lee last month, the Yankees have room for both Soriano and Pettitte, pending if Pettitte wants to return for 2011.

Getting Soriano and adding him to a bullpen with Rivera and Feliciano would only strengthen the Yankees’ chances of having success in 2011.

If the Yankees decide to pass up on adding a starter before the season, and whether or not they get Pettitte back for 2011, this is an option the Yankees should go for. If the Yankees decide to go with some of their younger arms for their rotation, having a strong bullpen wouldn’t put too much pressure on the rookies to pitch a ton of innings and would also shorten games for the Yankees opponents.

If the Yankees are going to go after Soriano, they should make him an offer with closer-type money with the guarantee that the Yankees will make Soriano their next closer after Rivera.

So I now leave the discussion to you guys.

Should the Yankees make a serious push for Soriano?

Stay tuned.

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