ESPN is reporting that reliever B.J. Ryan and the Toronto Blue Jays are closing in on a 5-year contract worth about $47 million. The deal will be the largest deal ever given to a reliever, surpassing Mariano Rivera's 4-year deal that ran from 2000-2001 (Rivera's deal was worth more per year). The Yankees have shown interest in Ryan, who has quietly become one of the game's most dominant relievers. Ryan went 1-4 last year with 36 saves and a 2.43 E.R.A.

Well, herein lies another part of the problem of attempting to convert a dominant closer into a setup man. $47 for 5-years is a huge deal. Most teams would not give that to a closer. In fact nobody has, so certainly he isn't going to get that much to be a setup guy, even if it's from the Yankees. Ryan said he wanted to be a closer this year, and there were too many teams that wanted him to close for them.

Well, there goes another reliever on the Yankees' offseason wish list. Perhaps we might have to reach out to Flash a little more and convince him to stay for another year or two.