Why not pile on? I mean, every time Rafael Soriano pitches, he has the chance to either prove Brian Cashman wrong and dominate the 8th inning of games therefore shortening a Yankees' game to 7 innings. Or he can prove Brian Cashman right by pitching the way he's pitched thus far, giving up 3 fewer runs to date than he gave up all of last season.
In 2010, Soriano had a season that put him on the map as a closer in the majors - 45 saves, 1.73 ERA in 62.1 IP. I would not throw any closer into the upper tier after one season on the job since there are hundreds of closers that shut the door for a season or two before vanishing into baseball anonymity.
Strangely enough, the list of potential employers was short when the off-season came. So short that the Yankees ended up being the only team on the list and they did a great job of not only out-bidding themselves but dividing the front office, again. This time it's not a Tampa-NY division per-se, rather it's a division of Soriano-Anyone Else.
His signing made some sense but the terms of the deal make absolutely no sense. Three years, $35 million, with player opt-outs after each of the first two years. Giving him the option to opt-out would likely only be exercised if another team came along with more money. It's hardly likely that Soriano would bow out of New York without a guarantee someplace else, even if the city is too much for him to pitch in.
At this point the Yankees would have been better off with a number of other relievers (Grant Balfour immediately comes to mind) or better yet, signing Alfonso Soriano to pitch the 8th may have been just as effective. Surely Soriano can rebound to match last season's output but it's hard to fathom at this stage that he will only give up three more runs if he throws another 50 or so innings. At this point, even bringing back LaTroy Hawkins would have made more sense; just don't give him #21 to start his career in pinstripes. For now, that's the only solace Rafael Soriano can take since his #29 only evokes memories of Jessie Barfield.
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