Nick Swisher, Hiroki Kuroda and Rafael Soriano decline qualifying offers – MLB Update
Nick Swisher, Rafael Soriano and Hiroki Kuroda have rejected the qualifying offers made by the New York Yankees. All three players officially declined the qualifying contract at 5pm on Friday evening.
Swisher, who faced a lot of criticism for his poor performances in the post-season, reject the team’s one year $13.3 million qualifying offer, taking his initial paces away from the Yankees.
The Yankees’ right fielder has enjoyed a lot of success in his four years tenure with the club. He is one of the few players to have 570 regular season hits with the Yankees. However, he was unable to live up to the expectations in the playoffs, hitting
just .167 with five hits and two RBI’s in eight games.
Yankees’ fans, who folded him into their arms not too long ago, criticised him immensely for his poor showings. He seemed annoyed when fans serenaded him with jeers and boos during a post-season game. It will be interesting to see if Swisher, who hit .272
with 24 home-runs and 93 RBI’s in the past season, can find a way to score runs in the plays to earn support from his fans.
Kuroda also declined the offer on Friday and he will wait to see what the open market can offer him. Rafael, Soriano who made 42 out 46 saves in 2012, is the third Yankees to decline the offer. Most of the players prefer to become free agent as they can
negotiate a better and perhaps a longer deal in free agency.
“It’s going to take a lot of work to replace what he provided,” Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman told reporters at the General Managers Meetings in Indian Wells, California. “Not just production-wise, but that switch-hitting ability, that flexibility
that his athleticism provided.”
Soriano may find it difficult to get back into the Yankees’ pitching line-up as Yankees’ regular closer Mariano Rivera is expected to back before Spring Training. The veteran Rivera missed most part of the 2012 season after suffering an injury. It will be
interesting to see if he can be the same closer after making his return.
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