MLB is no longer a league driven by nostalgia and history, but money is also a thing. From Juan Soto‘s $765 million to Shohei Ohtani $700 million deal, MLB is competing with the world’s biggest leagues in terms of monetary value. However, it comes at a cost. The cost of decreasing loyalty. Examples are ample where players are jumping from one franchise to another frequently.

This is what made Yankees legend Mariano Rivera recall his time when the Red Sox made an attempt to land him.

“Could you ever imagine pitching for another team? No. I never did. I never imagined that I wouldn’t want to imagine that either. You know, yes. I got offers, but for me, everything wasn’t about money. It was about loyalty… I think loyalty, we lose that part of the game,” Rivera said via WFAN Sports Radio.

Mariano Rivera secured his status as a Yankees legend by becoming the greatest closer in baseball history. His 18 years of MLB journey are all with the Yankees only. In between, Rivera accumulated an MLB record 652 regular-season saves and finished a record 952 games. Moreover, he pitched in 96 postseason games, yielding an absurd 0.70 ERA and recording 42 saves.

However, despite such legendary figures, Rivera passed the test with flying colors when it comes to loyalty to the Yankees.

It is no wonder that any team would try to have their hands on such a player, and the Red Sox were no different. Especially when he was more dominant against Boston. He was highly dominant against the Boston Red Sox in his career, securing 58 regular-season saves (his most against any single opponent) with a 2.86 ERA across 115 games.

In December 2010, Rivera became a free agent after his contract expired with the Yankees. The Red Sox aggressively pursued him by extending a two-year, $30 million contract offer. Reportedly, at that time, the Red Sox were facing a bullpen issue with their leading closer, Jonathan Papelbon, struggling on the mound. They were rumored to cut the ties with Papelbon if Rivera accepted the offer.

In 2010, Papelbon was the most expensive closer in MLB with an AAV of $9.35 million. Thus, the $15 million AAV offer for Rivera would have made him the highest-earning closer at that time. “I was thinking about it…It was a hard decision,” Rivera said back then.

However, the Yankees took no time to counter the offer, and they also offered the same two-year and $30 million deal. Rivera chose loyalty and stayed back in New York, where he eventually ended his career. “I heard their offer and decided I wanted to stay in New York,” he added. “My heart is here. My family is here… In the end, I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it.”

The current free agency in MLB is the exact opposite of what Mariano Rivera would have hoped for.

MLB lacks Mariano Rivera presently

The current scene in MLB is different, and there are no more Rivera-like players around.

Take Alex Bregman as an example. The Red Sox signed Bregman for a three-year and $120 million deal in 2025. The contract included opt-out options. However, after ending 2025 with a .273 average, he exercised that option to seek long-term security. Boston made a competitive baseline offer of five years and $165 million, which was not acceptable to Bregman.

The Cubs stepped in and signed Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract. According to Rivera, this is what he doesn’t like about the modern-day MLB.

However, the blame is not only on the players but also on how the modern-day franchises operate. For example, Rafael Devers made his debut with the Red Sox in 2017, and he was dominant in the hot corner till 2025. But Boston signed Bregman and chose to shift Devers’ position. He struggled and protested, which led to his trade to the Giants.

So, the game of loyalty works both ways, and in the current MLB world, it’s all about fielding a team for a single year over making a long-term investment. The reason why it is difficult for the current group of players to beat Mariano Rivera’s 5x World Series record with a single team.

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