December 3, 2010

Red Sox Offered Rivera Three Years?

Mariano Rivera is expected to re-sign with the Yankees today, agreeing to a 2/30 deal.

The Daily News reports that one team offered Rivera three years at roughly $17 million per year.

That team might have been the Red Sox.

Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman was tweeting last night that the Red Sox had offered Rivera a three-year deal:
yankees indeed moving closer on rivera. will be a 2-year deal, for close to 30. daily news reporting exactly 30 by friday.
about 10 hours ago via web

redsox tried to steal rivera with 3-year offer, im hearing. 2 more teams also offered 3. but rivera is close to $30-mil deal with yankees
about 10 hours ago via web

angels also bid for rivera with 3-year deal, i've heard. and one more team. still working on it.
about 10 hours ago via web

rivera deserves high praise for leaving 15 million-plus bucks on table to return to yankees. yes, i know hes very rich. but still ....
about 10 hours ago via web

redsox do not trust papelbon. first they shopped him, then, word is they went for rivera
about 8 hours ago via web
Despite the levels of schadenfreude that having Fruitbat in a Boston uniform would create, I have a very hard time believing the Red Sox would commit more than $50 million to a robot relief pitcher who would be 41-43 years old during the length of the contract (even if said pitcher did post his second-lowest WHIP of his career last season).

13 comments:

Zenslinger said...

Absurd. He's got to hit a wall at some point.

Patrick said...

Well, if there's any truth to this, the red sox must be seriously looking into signing the recently non-tendered Bobby Jenks.

laura k said...

I have total irrationality when it comes to this. If Mo could be a Red Sox, my baseball life would be complete.

And think of the s'freude. Beyond compare.

Ah, if only.

allan said...

He's got to hit a wall at some point.

YES! That is exactly what I have been saying...












... for almost a decade.

allan said...

I pray the Sox never spend $17 million per year on any reliever.

johngoldfine said...

And what place better to hit the wall than the home of the Green Monster....

Benjamin said...

Just think of the endorsement deals he'd lose if he signed with Boston.

Plus it would have added a few hundred miles commuting to his restaurant in New Rochelle.

Amy said...

The man is unbelievable. Not only as a pitcher, but as a person. He sure makes Jeter look pretty petty and stupid. He performed better than Jeter last year, but took a shorter deal for the same money offered to Jeter (and yes, I know Jeter is younger) out of loyalty and lack of greed.

I cannot imagine him in a Red Sox uniform, sweet as the thought may be. But getting rid of Papelbon? Just go ahead, Theo.

laura k said...

Amy, I agree, by all reports he is a truly upstanding person - modest, self-effacing, grounded. Compare his demeanour's to Papelbon's antics! As you said, Pap is much younger and perhaps can be expected to be less mature, but Mariano never seemed arrogant or egotistical, even early in his career.

He was my favourite player for years and years, and even now is the one NYY player I can never truly cheer against, not wholeheartedly (even though I always want the Red Sox to win no matter who is pitching).

laura k said...

And what place better to hit the wall than the home of the Green Monster....

HA! Perfect.

Come on over, Mo, we have a great big wall for you to hit. Ah well. He is destined to have a one-team career.

FenFan said...

> He's got to hit a wall at some point.

YES! That is exactly what I have been saying...

... for almost a decade.


Same here... he defies all logic.

Gareth said...

I remember watching him warm up in the 'pen at Fenway - we had seats right next to it, sweet location - and the fans who had heckled every other Yankee the entire game turned on the one guy who heckled Mo and promptly shut him up. That's respect!

I love when we beat him, but that's mostly as an acknowledgment of how hard that is.

allan said...

Edes: "The Red Sox offered reliever Mariano Rivera a two-year, $30 million deal and were prepared to non-tender closer Jonathan Papelbon, according to a baseball source with direct knowledge of the negotiations."

Yoinks.