Mood Music - Land of Confusion by Genesis
With only one year left on his contract, New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera shared a few non-committal words on his future:
I don't know what will happen. I have one year left. I might call it over. I will know more in spring training.
I often dump on the concept of a closer and the hysteria that surrounds those who pitch the 9th inning, but Rivera has been awfully fun to watch for an awfully long time. With the arms currently in the Yankees bullpen and coming up in the system, I think they will absorb the loss fairly well, but Rivera's track record is unrivaled.
A few days from his 42nd birthday and having just completed his eighth sub-2.00 ERA season in the past nine years, any age-related drop off from Rivera has been slight. He can still get guys out and the Yankees will keep him as long as he wants to play.
At FanGraphs, Steve Slowinski had a few more words on the impact of the new CBA, and they seem to be zeroing in on the truth after Dave Cameron's complete airball. The Yankees are not at the top of draft spending because they're negotiating with Cito Culver and Dante Bichette Jr. and not Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. They pay over-slot as much (or probably more) as anyone and certainly are not helped by these rule changes. It's tough to say who (besides the owners) actually do benefit.