The Yankees made a great signing this offseason with the three year deal they gave Rafael Soriano to be the new set-up man for Mo. Soriano was a 30 year old free agent when the Rays decided they were cutting payroll and didn't re-sign him as their closer. The Yankees picked him up on a three year deal worth 35 Million.
It seems like the Yankees are dropping Joba from the 8th inning role and plugging Soriano in. I can't wait to see how this plays out, as it seems as though the Yankees just cut games down by two innings with Mo & Soriano. With Robertson, Joba, Mitre, Feliciano and Logan to fill in the rest, the Yankees bullpen can have a monster season. (still need a #4 & #5 starter though)
Soriano's numbers don't lie, as he was one of the best closers in the American League last season. Last season he had a career high 45 saves for the Rays with an ERA of 1.73. He struck out 57 batters (down from 102 in 2009) and only allowed 36 hits over 62.1 innings. By all accounts, he had a great season.
His numbers against the Yankees were very strong as well. Over 7 appearances, he only allowed one run on three hits with 5 strikeouts and held the yankees to an opposing batting average of .125
Soriano had his first appearance in spring training last night and pitched a scoreless inning. No different than Mo, Soriano does his own preparation in Spring Training and takes it slow.
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