02/12/2007 2:25 PM ET
Legendary closer's contract to expire after 2007 season
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
TAMPA -- Mariano Rivera acknowledged the absence of longtime teammate Bernie
Williams on Monday, calling it "strange."
Could players be saying the same thing about the Yankees closer one year from
now? Rivera's commitment to the team expires after 2007, and while he said he
would love to retire in New York, he realizes that scenario is not yet
certain.
"Definitely, I want to finish my career here," Rivera said. "But if they
don't give me the respect that I deserve, [if] I have to move on, I have to
move on. The Yankees always give me respect. When it comes to these times, I
don't like to talk about it."
Rivera -- with Williams' apparent parting, now the longest-tenured Yankees
big leaguer -- met the media near the front entrance of the Yankees' Minor
League complex, his words draped by the background of passing traffic.
Though he appears to have given some thought to his baseball fate, Rivera
insisted that he is not upset. Rivera's focus, he said, remains on helping
the 2007 Yankees accomplish their goal of a World Series championship.
That mission begins Tuesday, as pitchers and catchers officially report to
Legends Field. As Rivera noted, he is under contract with the team, and would
not let any uncertainty concerning his future creep into his current
obligations.
"I'm not that kind of player," Rivera said. "I play for the team. I'm a team
player. I don't have to think about that stuff.
The Yankees have not made overtures to Rivera's agent, Fernando Cuza,
regarding an extension of the original two-year, $21 million contract that
will expire after this season. Rivera will earn $10.5 million this season,
the option year of that contract.
Rivera said he would be receptive to discussing an extension with the team --
"If they want to talk, we'd be willing to listen," he said -- but the closer
noted he did not plan on initiating conversations.
"Like I said, this is a business," Rivera said. "If they have somebody who
can do a job better than I do, they will do it. So I don't have to worry
about those things. When the time comes, if they want me back, they want me
back.
"Otherwise, I'm not going to sit in my house crying. I'd have to move on."
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman -- who was scheduled to arrive in Tampa
on Monday -- and Cuza did not return calls for comment.
Finding a successor to Rivera's throne would be difficult. A lifetime Yankee
who signed with the organization in February 1990 and grew to become
generally regarded as one of the top closers of all time, Rivera posted a
1.80 ERA over 63 appearances last season, including 34 saves in 37
opportunities.
Rivera said he had refrained from throwing for much of the offseason and that
he has no concerns about his elbow, which was rested last September in
preparation for the club's abbreviated postseason entry.
Clearly, at some point, Rivera acknowledged that his years of service in the
Major Leagues will be complete. He needed no more glaring reminder of that
than the fact that Williams' No. 51 will apparently go unused this spring.
"My body is ready to go," Rivera said. "Definitely, this is not going to be
forever, but I'm going to do as much as I can and enjoy."
Rainy day blues: With overcast skies and drizzle blanketing the Yankees
complex, most of the early reportees were confined to workouts in covered
batting cages and long-tossing across the outfield.
A noticeably slimmer Carl Pavano made the rounds while jogging on a warning
track. Meanwhile, a group of pitchers were able to throw side sessions in
adjoining bullpens, although Japanese left-hander Kei Igawa -- who had been
scheduled to throw in one -- had his workout scratched.
The 27-year-old left-hander said he has not yet worked with catcher Jorge
Posada, but would do so when camp moves across the street to Legends Field.
Igawa noted that he is still getting acclimated to the lifestyle of the
United States, but had positive words so far regarding his first experiences
in Florida.
"Today was just bad weather," Igawa said through an interpreter. "Normally,
it's a nice environment to work."
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 220.140.127.212