Yanks and Rivera Aren't Far Apart

From Andrew Marchand:

The Yankees' negotiations with closer Mariano Rivera are progressing much smoother than the rancor-filled struggle with Derek Jeter.

"Night and day," said one baseball official with knowledge of both talks.

While the Yankees and Jeter are reportedly tens of millions of dollars apart, the Yankees and Rivera are said to be closer on financial terms. A second official with knowledge of the Rivera talks said the reliever is looking for a raise from the $15 million he received last season, but the Yankees view his demands as much more reasonable than Jeter's.

Rivera likely will get a slight bump to $16 or $17 million. The question that still needs to be fully ironed out is if Rivera will receive one or two years. Rivera has asked for a two-year contract but he turned 41 on Monday. A one-year deal with a vesting option could be a way to bridge the gap.

There is absolutely no reason why these talks shouldn't be going smoothly. Hopefully this gets wrapped up pretty soon, it sure looks like it will.