Wow wow wow is that a lot of money. If Rivera maintains his current usage patterns, the Yankees will be paying him about $1 million for every five innings he pitches. And that's if he stays healthy and effective, which is far from a sure thing for a reliever in his mid-30s, no matter how great.
Rivera may be worth $15 million a year to the Yankees for his marketing value. Let's hope that's the case, because in pure baseball terms, this is a staggering offer, and I'd hate to think the Yankees didn't learn anything from the similarly over-the-top Roger Clemens deal last offseason.
-P- Unrelated topic: please don't quote things in diaries without saying where they're from and providing a link. I had to take a diary down today because it consisted mostly of an unattributed quote. I couldn't email the person who posted it to say hey, it's not personal, so if that's you, I'm sorry. But please make sure to post a link along with any quotes you may post. Thanks.