Sports

Mariano Rivera tells Yankees he plans to return for a 19th season next year

Could Rivera replace Soriano?

USPA NEWS - According to a report in Newsday on Saturday, Rivera told general manager Brian Cashman he will return for his 19th season after missing most of 2012 because of a torn ACL in his right knee. All-time saves leader and career New York Yankee Mariano Rivera has notified the team he intends to pitch.
Considered the greatest closer in history, Rivera has 608 regular-season saves and 42 in the postseason.
The Yankees will have to negotiate a contract with Rivera, whose two-year, $30 million contract expired at the end of the season. The Yankees on Friday extended a $13.3 million qualifying offer to Rafael Soriano, who saved 42 games for the team in Rivera´s absence. Soriano is expected to decline the offer and become a free agent.
The return of Rivera could remove the Yankees from the closer market, or run off free-agent closers from considering the Yankees. Soriano is the best of the class. He is expected to draw a contract in the $15-million-a-season range for three or four years.
Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian baseball pitcher who has played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo",[1] Rivera has served as a relief pitcher for most of his career, and since 1997, he has been the Yankees' closer. A 12-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, he is MLB's all-time leader in saves (608) and games finished (892). His accolades include five American League (AL) Rolaids Relief Man Awards and three Delivery Man of the Year Awards.Rivera was signed by the Yankees organization in 1990 as an amateur free agent in Panama, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1995.
Rivera is regarded by baseball experts as one of the most dominant relievers in major league history.[3] Pitching with a longevity and consistency uncommon to the closer role, he saved at least 25 games in 15 consecutive seasons and has posted an ERA under 2.00 in 11 seasons, both of which are records. His career 2.21 ERA and 1.00 WHIP are the lowest marks in baseball's live-ball era. On the field, he is well known for his composure and reserved demeanor that contrast with the effusiveness of many other closers. Away from baseball, he is involved in charitable causes and the Christian community through the Mariano Rivera Foundation. Rivera is expected to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame once eligible.
HEY YANKEES BRING MO BACK!
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