Change of heart on Soriano - and Joba, too?
New York Yankees' Joba Chamberlain (62) pitches in the ninth inning. (Aug. 16, 2010) Credit: John Dunn
At about 10 p.m. Thursday, three Yankees-related terms were among the top 10 trending topics on Twitter. They were "Soriano," "Yanks" and "Joba."
The Yankees' agreement with former Rays closer Rafael Soriano could end up being like a stone thrown into a pond, with ripples reaching out in many directions.
It should come as no surprise that the first ripple in the Twitterverse was about how Soriano's arrival will affect Joba Chamberlain. Will the Yankees make him a starter again? It doesn't seem as though they need him in the bullpen now, and Andy Pettitte might not be coming back, and Joba's got to be better than Sergio Mitre . . .
It was obvious and breathless and fun, even if many in the sports journalism business turn up their noses at Yankees fans' 140-character obsession with Chamberlain.
From Day One, when he arrived with a 100-mph fastball and supercharged fist pump, Joba has been a phenom, and then a star, and then a celebrity, and now merely a curiosity.
He ended the 2010 season as a middle reliever, one rung above a mop-up man, and goes into 2011 as the same - unless the Yankees have a change of heart from general manager Brian Cashman's most recent public statement on the matter.
On Dec. 21, after the Yankees whiffed on Cliff Lee, Cashman told Newsday that Chamberlain was not being considered as a starter.
"His stuff plays so much significantly [better] out of the pen,'' Cashman said. "We had given him an opportunity to pitch in the rotation, and the velocity dropped. It's just not the same stuff.''
Of course, Cashman has been known to change his mind. The most famous example is signing Johnny Damon in 2006 after saying he'd be happy to start the season with Bubba Crosby in centerfield.
The most recent example is agreeing to terms with Type A free agent Soriano after saying he would not give up a first-round draft pick for him. An ESPN.com report suggested Friday that Cashman was pushed into the Soriano deal by ownership, which didn't share his fondness for the 31st pick in June's amateur draft. Once the Soriano deal is completed - a physical is needed to seal it - that pick will transfer from the Yankees to the Rays.
Cashman did not return a call Friday. A person familiar with the Yankees' inner workings said Cashman's public comments about the draft pick were mere bluster directed at Soriano's agent, Scott Boras. If so, remind us not to play poker with Cashman, because we believed him when he said Lee was the only player in this year's market for whom he would give up the pick.
Cashman has bristled before about being forced to sign players he didn't really want; he almost left over control issues three years ago. If it's happening again, Cashman's contract status could become a story all season, given that he is in the final year of his three-year, $6-million deal.
Other ripples: How about current closer Mariano Rivera? Does the proud 41-year-old really want his potential successor around for two years? And what happens if Soriano proves to be more effective than Rivera? Would you want to be Joe Girardi, telling the greatest closer of all time that he's now going to call the eighth inning home?
One pitcher the Yankees are privately hoping is affected by the Soriano deal is Pettitte. "Maybe it gets him excited," one source said.
But the Yankees still don't know when or if Pettitte is going to decide to return or retire. They haven't found a ripple yet that can reach suburban Houston.
