Mo Deals Fast On Mound But Not In Negotiations

Mariano Rivera nicknamed "Mo" for his ability to quickly sit down the opposition is not so efficient in cutting a deal with the Yankees. Rivera personaly went to Florida to meet with the Yanks face to face and the Yankees responded with giving him the most lucritive offer for a reliever by several million dollars has yet to agree to the three year 45 million dollar contract.

Of the Yankees four biggest free agents, Rivera seemed to be the easiest to sign and was figured to even possibly be the first to sign. Instead, Jorge Posada has reached an agreement on a four year deal, A-Rod seems to be headed towards a 10 year deal worth approximately 275 million dollars, and Pettitte said he will either return to the Yanks or retire and the Yankees are giving him all the time he needs to make that decision.

What can Rivera be mulling over? It can't be the contract as it would likely end his career as a Yankee as he is 38 years old. Does he actually want a fourth deal, is he just making the Yanks sweat it out and see if they crack and offer him more money and or more years or does this have to do with Joe Torre making his new home in Los Angeles, at least during the season, as he is now managing the Dodgers. Rivera's agent said if he couldn't work something out with the Yankees he wouldn't discount the possibility of following his long time manager trading in his Yankee pinstripes for the Dodger blue.

But if he was going to the Dodgers to began with, why would he fly all the way to Florida to meet in a personal discussion with the Yankees brass. He could have driven up his price by just by threatening to leave but he seemed to make it seem like a priority to stay with the only team he has ever been with in the Yankees.

So, who makes the next move? Does Mo accept the offer, does he wait for more more or more years on his contract, or does Mo call up Torre and tell him that he will still have him as a closer next season?

Of course the Dodgers have other needs, such as an outfielder and are also looking to upgrade their infield especially at third base where they are trying to land the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera and will likely have to trade away some players that are already on their depth chart who they will have to replace if the trade does happen.

The Dodgers also already have a premier closer in Takashi Saito who last year posted 39 saves in 43 chances and had a miniscule 1.40 ERA. Now granted that was as a National League pitcher and Rivera pitched in the American League but Rivera had a 3.15 ERA converting 30 of 34 save opportunities.

Saito is 37, a year younger than Rivera, but more importantly while the Yanks made an offer of 15 million dollars a season, Saito 2007 salary is just one million dollars.

Why would the Dodgers spend time focusing in on an older, more expensive closer when they have a great closer at a cheap salary already signed and other priorities to attend to first.

Besides the Dodgers have a strong pen, not only with Saito, but with Jonathan Broxton who had a 2.85 ERA, Joe Beimel who had a 3.88 ERA last season, and ex-Yankee and original Dodger farm hand, Scott Proctor, who split a 3.65 ERA between the Yankees and Dodgers last season, among others.

So, it seems as if the Yanks don't have to worry about a return of Rivera to the Bronx, they just have to wait for Rivera, for whatever reason. In the mean time, the Yankees need to get on their horse and help reconstruct the rest of their pen as well as it is arguably the teams biggest weakness.