Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Should New York Take a Flyer on Rafael Soriano Again?


It seems extremely likely that the Washington Nationals will not have the roster space nor the money to keep Rafael Soriano and his club option after the 2014 season, should the Yankees prepare for a #untuck redux? Yes and no.

Soriano was the saving grace of the Yankees during the 2012 season as he filled in for the great, and injured, Mariano Rivera as he untucked his way to the American League Championship Series with New York. Soriano went from the most expensive 7th inning man in the history of Major League Baseball to the Yankees closer in a matter of a calendar year and was a free agent at just the right time. Washington swooped him up after that successful 2012 season and plugged him into an already strong bullpen to be the team’s closer.

Since then Soriano has fallen out of grace in Washington and has struggled mightily which led him to lose the closer’s job with the Nationals. Soriano had a vesting option in his contract for the 2015 season that did not vest due to his inefficiencies and will likely make him one of the better free agents in the relief market this season.

If the Yankees can get Soriano on a shorter term deal, one year preferably, then I don’t necessarily have a problem with it. With all his struggled withstanding in his first season in New York and his time in Washington Soriano is probably still better than either Shawn Kelley or Preston Claiborne. It would likely be an expensive addition by subtraction but an addition by subtraction nonetheless.


If New York can get Soriano to come in once again to be the 7th inning guy but this time at a reasonable salary and contract than I am all for it. If he wants to get greedy again then I just hope and pray that Hank and Hal Steinbrenner and Randy Levine aren’t reading and preparing another lucrative contract loaded with opt out clauses. 

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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)