Mariano Rivera is universally regarded as the best relief pitcher in the history of baseball. Some people believe that he has even made a compelling argument for the title of the sport’s most dominant pitcher. At 43 years old, age has not been a factor in his effectiveness this season as he has converted 31 of 33 save opportunities with an ERA well below his career mark of 2.20. Despite the fact that Rivera is still among the best pitchers in the game today, this will be his last season.
Rivera ...
Alfonso Soriano has been a Chicago Cub for the past seven seasons, but the 37-year-old outfielder is moving on to greener pastures, as the Cubbies have dealt him to the New York Yankees for minor-league pitcher Corey Black (via CBS' Jon Heyman) ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the deal and provided some financial details.
The Yankees made the deal official on Friday:
UPDATE: Friday, July 26, at 4:40 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford
YES Network announced the Yankees' lineup for Friday night's game:
---End of update---
UPDATE: ...
The New York Yankees are in the American League pennant race, but only because the race hasn't run away from them while they've been stuck in neutral for what feels like ages.
They've been needing a boost of some kind. For that, they have turned to an old friend.
A deal was being teased earlier this week, and now the deed is just about done. According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the Bombers have acquired former pinstriped star Alfonso Soriano from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a presently unknown prospect (Heyman ...
Alfonso Soriano is going back to where it all began. After the outfielder waived his no-trade rights, the Chicago Cubs dealt Soriano to the New York Yankees, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN.
It is a shrewd move for the Yankees, who are desperate to find anyone who can hit a home run. It is a savvy move for the Cubs, who have been trying to get out from under Soriano's contract for a long time.
Of course, given the amount of money he was making and current level of production, the ...
Nearly 10 years after trading away Alfonso Soriano, the New York Yankees have officially reacquired him to bolster their ailing lineup, tweets ESPN.com's Jim Bowden:
MLB has approved the trade of Alfonso Soriano to Yankees (& cash changing hands) and Soriano has officially waved no-trade DEAL is OFFICIAL
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) July 26, 2013
Although his right-handed power bat should provide much-needed protection for superstar Robinson Cano, it's arriving too late to salvage the season.
Here are Soriano's offensive stats dating back to 2010:
Year
BA/OBP/SLG
HR
K%
2010
.258/.322/.496
24
22.4%
2011
.244/.289/.469
26
22.2%
2012
.262/.322/.499
32
24.9%
2013
.254/.287/.467
17
23.2%
2010-2013 averages
.255/.307/.485
25
23.3%
Across the board, the 37-year-old appears to be a ...
It has been an interesting first full week back since the All-Star break in MLB, both on and off the field.
The Dodgers continue their meteoric rise to the top of the NL West while the Washington Nationals wish they could have a do-over in the NL East.
The MLB Hot Stove got fired up a little earlier than normal as the Cubs and Rangers pulled off the first big trade around the deadline with Matt Garza sent to Texas. The big story over the next few days will certainly be the ...
First the fans started getting sick of the drama surrounding Alex Rodriguez and now some of his teammates are becoming fed up as well.
According to a story by the New York Daily News' Mark Feinsand and Anthony McCarron, A-Rod is becoming a distraction to the team.
“Guys are just tired of it,” the player said. “The media circus that’s revolving around Alex is insane — and we haven’t even seen him. It just keeps going. It’s like a carousel that just keeps going around and around and around. At some point, it has ...
The drama never seems to end with New York Yankees third baseman (and resident headache) Alex Rodriguez.
Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the Yankees could look to potentially fine Rodriguez after receiving a second opinion on his quad strain without the permission of the organization.
The CBA (Article XIII, paragraph D, to be exact) states that a player may not seek a second medical opinion without notifying his club in writing. Rodriguez did not do so, and instead told the club about his second doctor's visit the night after it happened.
The ...
As the farewell tour continues for New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera, the Texas Rangers were the latest to send the closer off in style.
The cowboy hat joins a long list of items Rivera has received in his final year in uniform.
Just to name a few, the Minnesota Twins gave him a rocking chair made from broken bats, while the Oakland Athletics gave him a surfboard and a donation to his charitable foundation.
For Rivera, it's humbling considering the way he's carried himself throughout his career. If his speech during his ...
Watching the Yankees offense of late, it seems impossible to believe this team is contending for a playoff spot in October. The Bombers’ mighty offensive struggles have been well documented but it still bears repeating: The Yankees have the second-worst lineup by OPS in the American League.
Barely edging out the lowly Astros for second-to-last.
The Yankees are regularly trotting out position players, who are right at, or below replacement level. Season-long players or recent acquisitions, it matters not. Players such as Brent Lillibridge, Austin Romine, David Adams, Travis Hafner, Eduardo Nunez and Vernon ...