The New York Yankees planned to make a new contract offer to Jorge Posada on Monday in an effort to re-sign the All-Star catcher before he hits the open market.
New York also was trying to re-sign Mariano Rivera before yesterday, when free agents could start talking money with all clubs.
"Mariano already has been given an improved offer, and Jorge's will be today," senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said. "We're kind of hoping to get an answer at least on one of the two tonight."
Posada, a five-time All-Star who was 36, said on Sunday he was "really close" to an agreement with the Yankees and his preference is to remain with the only major league team he's played for. His contract is expected to be for three or four years.
"A lot of that now that the players and agents do, it's just spin," Steinbrenner said. "But the bottom line is I think he means it."
Rivera, an eight-time All-Star, was in the Dominican Republic on Monday. Rivera, who turns 38 on Nov. 29, said on Monday if he couldn't reach a deal with New York, he would consider following manager Joe Torre to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The closer is expected to receive a three-year contract.
"The Yankees are my first option," he said in Santo Domingo. "But if that is not possible, there is Joe with the Dodgers."
General manager Brian Cashman said re-signing the pair are his top priorities right now.
"The ball's pretty much in their court now. They've both been made very good offers now, and we'll see where they're at," Steinbrenner said. "We'll see how committed they are."
Steinbrenner said the Yankees still were trying to gauge what the Florida Marlins might want in a trade for All-Star third baseman Miguel Cabrera, who is being made available.
"We got a couple ideas, what they might be asking for, and it's a lot," Steinbrenner said. "I don't know what's going to happen there, but there's still plenty of time on that."
It's also far too early to determine whether the Minnesota Twins will attempt to trade two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana, who can become a free agent after next season. Steinbrenner said the Yankees certainly would speak with the Twins if he becomes available.
South Korean giants T1, led by “Faker,” won their fifth League of Legends (LoL) world championship crown in London on Saturday, beating China’s Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in a thrilling final. The teams were locked at 2-2 at a packed O2 arena, but T1 clinched game five to make it back-to-back titles after nearly four hours of tense action. China’s BLG started strongly, taking the first game before T1 struck back to level. The Chinese team pulled ahead again at 2-1 only for their opponents to hit back again and go on to take the decider. Faker, who won the Most
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Belgian partner Elise Mertens on Monday notched up their first win in the doubles group stage of the WTA Finals in Riyadh to keep their semi-final hopes alive, while Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russian partner Veronika Kudermetova were aiming to record their first victory after press time last night. Third seeds Hsieh and Mertens came back from a disheartening opening-day loss to Australia’s Ellen Perez and Nicole Melichar-Martinez to defeat top seeds Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, the women’s doubles world No. 3 and 4 respectively. The 6-1, 6-3 victory at King Saud University Indoor Arena
Amber Glenn overcame a fall and her own doubts to win a maiden Grand Prix figure skating title on Saturday at the Grand Prix de France. The American skater had the lead from Friday’s short program. That and the support of the crowd got her through a tough free skate in which she fell on a triple flip and put a hand onto the ice to steady herself on two other jumps. “I didn’t feel that great out there today, but I really tried, and the audience really got me through that last half when I was doubting myself,” Glenn
After pushing for months to get a shot at Colby Covington, Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry is getting to headline the UFC’s final card for this year. However, it will not be against Covington. The promotion on Friday announced that Machado Garry, the No. 7-ranked welterweight, would face ninth-ranked Joaquin Buckley at UFC Fight Night in Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 14. Machado Garry, 26, is undefeated through 15 matches, the most recent coming on June 29 when he beat Michael Page via unanimous decision. Last month, Machado Garry said in an Instagram post that in September he was offered a fight with Covington — the