February 14, 2007, 2:04 PM EST TAMPA, Fla. -- Mariano Rivera said today he plans to test the market if they don't sign him to an extension by the end of spring training, and vowed to give the Yankees no homefield advantage if he becomes a free agent next winter.
"The Yankees will not have an advantage," he said. "Everyone will have a shot."
Rivera said general manger Brian Cashman called him last night, but never mentioned anything about waiting until the offseason to negotiate his new deal, as Cashman told reporters earlier Monday. That gave Rivera hope it could happen during camp.
But Rivera insisted his camp will not make the first call; they've already tried that. His agent, Fernando Cuza, called Cashman at the start of the offseason and requested that they get a new deal done by the start of spring training -- or table talks until after the season.
Rivera obviously is not sticking with that self-imposed deadline, saying today that if the Yankees called, he would certainly listen. But he adamantly insisted he would not negotiate once Opening Day (April 2) passes. "I just want to make sure when the season starts, I am 100 percent mentally and physically prepared for the season," he said.
Cashman is expected to address reporters later this afternoon.
Rivera is entering the final year of a three-year, $31.5-million contract signed during spring training in 2004. Today, he reiterated his goal of pitching for the Yankees in the new stadium, which opens in 2009, but also added he would not hesitate to walk if it came to that.
