Despite initially not expressing interest in signing him, the New York Yankees have signed reliever Rafael Soriano to a three-year, $35 million contract, and while they are overpaying him, here is why the acquisition is a smart one.
The Yankees' pitching staff was in need of some reinforcements, particularly in the bullpen, after Kerry Wood chose to head back to Chicago and sign with the Cubs. While you could argue that it is a luxury signing to bring in a guy who is coming off a terrific season closing as a set-up guy to the best closer in the game in Mariano Rivera, paying top dollar for the best back-end of any bullpen in baseball is a wise move.
Plus Soriano was awesome last season against the Boston Red Sox, posting a 1.50 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and a .143 batting average against the Sox last season. After what has transpired this offseason, in which the hated Red Sox probably leapfrogged the Yanks in the American League East, bringing in Soriano to form what is know a very good bullpen is a very wise move.
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