Soriano defects to Yanks

Rays closer Rafael Soriano decided to accept a one-year contract from New York. Soriano, who led the league with 45 saves last year, will join Mariano Rivera in the Yankees bullpen. I understand why the Yankees would sign Rafael, since their pitching was, to be kind, shaky last year. They still need another good starter to join C.C. Sabathia. Some diehard fans of the Bronx Bombers would argue that A.J. Burnett could fill the role. Sure. If you like having a guy go 10-15 as your second starter. No. Pettite? Maybe, but he has just had too many injuries and, let's face it, he's getting old. Hughes? Well, 18-8 isn't bad, except when you have a 4.21 ERA. Soriano, on the other hand, has no reason to go to New York except for the money, which, obviously, he could get anywhere else with his impressive resume. After all, the Yanks already have a great closer in Mo, so why would Soriano choose to sign with a team that won't let him pitch as much as he did? Duh.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox starting rotation looks fairly impressive, at least in the first two spots. Not that I suggest that Soriano should sign with Boston. Why? Maybe because the Sox already have two pro bono closers, Jonathan Papelbon and Bobby Jenks. However, Jon Lester is in the number one spot, and he looked great last season, 19-9 with 225 strikeouts. Clay Buchholz helps provide a 1-2 punch, as he was 17-7 with a 2.33 ERA last season, second in the league. After Clay, however, the rotation quivers, with John Lackey, who had a 4.40 ERA and a 14-11 record, followed by Josh Beckett, who fell off with a 6-6 record, a 5.38 ERA, and lots of injuries. Finally, Daisuke Matsuzaka brings up the inconsistent rotation with a 9-6 record and a 4.69 ERA. At least the bullpen looks good, with Pap and Bard closing and setting up, respectively.

Trivia
Bard had just a 1.82 ERA last year.
Rivera is second all-time in saves, as I said in my last post.