WHAT'S THE FUTURE BRING FOR SWISHER, SORIANO & KURODA?

So, the offer is in to Nick Swisher, as well as Rafael Soriano and Hiroki Kuroda. According to the Wall Street Journal (HERE): "The Yankees have made qualifying offers of $13.3 million to pitchers Hiroki Kuroda and Rafael Soriano, and to right fielder Nick Swisher.

If any of the three sign a major league contract with another team, New York would receive draft-pick compensation in next year's amateur draft.

Under baseball's new labor contract, the qualifying offers replace the team agreeing to go to salary arbitration. A player has until Nov. 9 to accept the $13.3 million deal."

So what does it all mean? Truth be told, when I first read the news yesterday from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com HERE, I thought that the Yankees were just going through the motions, and they are…Especially on Nick Swisher and Rafael Soriano. Don’t you think?

Think about it this way, so the Yankees make an offer to Nick Swisher.  Swisher in turn will look to his agent who will in turn say point blank “You wanna go back to New York? The same fan base you pissed off before you left the Bronx? Or do  you want to make the biggest pay day of your career entering the Free Agent market and fielding big multiple offers?” Nick Swisher will then picture himself rolling around in money and forget all about the Yankees and us fans. He'll consider it a closed chapter because as we read in Suzie Pinstripes piece YANKEES 2012: IT IS WHAT IT IS..., The Yankees are Yankees and all these players in the major leagues are just players... none of then don't care about us so why should we care about them... one of the best lines ever from The Bronx Tale when Sonny speaks of Mickey Mantle to C.   

What I mean is, it's a cruel reality that us fans sometimes forget... it's business first, baseball second.  Then, when the Yankees offer is rejected by Swish, as it's expected to be... the Yankees say “We tried”, but then they’ll move on like they planned all along.

Rafael Soriano is an obvious "No." There is no way he's coming back to New York...that's my take anyway. Soriano would be a fool to stick around in the Bronx after he just did his best "Closer audition" for every team out there to see.  “Hey, you need a closer?” he’ll say as he’s untucking, “Sign me, 4 years and a lot of millions later!” I mean, why the hell would Soriano stick around in the Bronx IF Mariano Rivera comes back next year?  

Why go back to being the set up guy when he could be a big dog somewhere else?  Oh and by the way, that’s a Big IF. We don't know Mariano's coming back, but I suspect that’s just Mariano doing that as a strategy to make a nice pay day from the Yankees if he decides to come back for 1 more year. Again, Mariano may be a Yankee for life, but don’t forget, this is a business first, then a kid’s game second.  If Mariano doesn’t come back, I believe the Yankees may up their offer to Soriano, but they’ll be willing to let him walk too.  I’m sure they’re confident enough to deliver that closing role to someone like Joba Chamberlain or David Aardsma, a former closer.  The Yankees are in the drivers seat on this one, Cashman just needs to be smart.

But back to Nick Swisher for a moment.  Once that whole exercise happens and the Yankees and Swisher officially part company, the right field auditions start.  I am personally curious why the Yankees haven’t thought to just lock up Ichiro Suzuki for that position right now, a role he played for years and is a 10 time Gold Glover to boot.  Ichiro would like to come back, read HERE, Plus, he did great for us down the stretch, better than many suspected.

The Yankees are apparently interested in 37 year old Torii Hunter, read HERE.  Many Yankee fans can't understand this logic, considering fans have been calling for a younger Yankee team, but this idea is simple; it just may have come too late; My take is Hunter is still a dynamic outfielder and at this age, the price may be right. Sure, it's something to consider, but we'll just have to see. Stay tuned.

And what about Hiroki Kuroda?  I'll have a piece dedicated to him sometimes this weekend, but this is a no brainer for me. Kuroda wants to come back to the Bronx, he wants a 1 year deal (HERE) and to me, the feeling is mutual, for Yankee fans and for the Yankees. Sign him. Done. 

Things are happening kind of fast in Yankeeland, so we need to be on our toes.  Keep it locked here and we'll try to bring you up the moment news on the Yankees plans, rumors and moves...and we'll do it with a smile and with humor and opinion. Why? Because we're Bleeding Yankee Blue... not the others.

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