Jorge Posada- 36 years old and a catcher- 52 million dollars

Mariano Rivera- 38 years old- right handed pitcher 45 million dollars

Andy Pettite 35 years old left handed pitcher 15 million (forget the HGH for a second)

The three players  listed above have three things in common. They are/were:

1.) Part of the Yankee dynasty teams of the late 90's early 00's

2.) Came up through the Yankees organization.

3.) (with the exception of Pettite) These players have spent their entire careers with the Yankees. Lets forget what happened to Bernie Williams for a second (It contradicts my argument).

Most contracts, when given, are calculated to measure future production or future potential. Think of the complaining about the Ryan contract in football this past spring. Or Darren Dreifort, the former Dodger pitcher who recieved a 55 million dollar deal, for five years only to win a handful of games over the life of the contract. CRINGE- Carl Pavano. While it is true that Posada had a career year at the age of 35 and Rivera proved to be effective last year (and lights out once again this year) I cannot halp but speculate that history played a part in these players big paydays. Across town, at the same age, Mike Piazza was given the Bernie Williams treatment (It was terrible PR when Pettites services were outbidded by the Astros and Bernie was given a pink slip). Piazza is just one example,  My point is, most teams ONLY pay for future potential. While the Yankees wronged Pettite and Bernie in the past, they made up for it with the unorthodox signings of  Posada, Pettite and Rivera in the winter of 2007..........On a separate note

please check out (hopefully you will get a laugh)

The Next Fernando Valenzuela (Part 1)

The Next Fernando Valenzuela (Part 2)

Taking Steroids One Day At A Time