Closer Mariano Rivera has said he’s undecided on whether or
not he’ll return to the New York Yankees next season. While most assume this to
be the case of a veteran mulling retirement, Buster Olney of ESPN believes it
could be a negotiation tactic employed by Rivera against the Yankees.
Rivera missed a majority of the 2012 season after sustaining
a season-ending injury. Set to turn 43 in November, it was unclear if Rivera
would return for another year.
What did seem to be clear is that if Rivera decided to
continue his career he would do so with the Yankees. Olney doesn’t disagree
with this, but thinks Rivera could be using the retirement card as a form of
posturing to increase his next contract with New York.
The Yankees will certainly be looking to get as much value
out of their deal as possible, while Rivera and his agent will aim to collect
as much of his 2011-12 salary of $15 million per year as they can. The future
Hall of Famer has shown no signs of decline, so it will be interesting to see
what type of deal he commands if he does elect to continue playing.
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