Mariano Rivera Jr., Yankees fail to come to terms
Mariano Rivera hugs his son Mariano Rivera Jr. during the Mariano Rivera Day pregame ceremony on Sept. 22, 2013. Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
The Yankees announced on Saturday that they did not come to terms with Mariano Rivera Jr., the son of their retired closer, before the deadline to sign him.
The team had selected Rivera Jr., a righthander pitcher from Iona College, in the 29th round of the June amateur draft. Rivera Jr. will return to Iona for his junior year.
"He just wanted to continue where he's at currently," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "It's not something that he wants to pursue just yet. I think Mariano and the family feel like some more seasoning in the college ranks will benefit him more."
As a sophomore, Rivera Jr. was 2-6 with a 5.40 ERA in 13 games. He struck out 50 in 70 innings.
"He wasn't a courtesy draft," Cashman said. " Damon Oppenheimer and his staff saw the value. At that level of the draft they felt it was worth pursuing."
