81.   The Yankees acquiesced and now Rogers will change identities from their highest-paid middle reliever ever to their highest-paid minor-leaguer ever.

82.   The Yankees could move Irabu to the bullpen and limit his innings, but they have no need for a multimillion-dollar middle reliever.

83.   The Yankees have offered the left-hander a four-year deal to be a middle reliever.

84.   They probably will need it because their middle relievers have been erratic and Showalter could be reluctant to call the bullpen for anyone except John Wetteland.

85.   They still need to prove their middle relievers can get the game to Wetteland.

86.   This is what the Yankees have done all season, force a starter from the game in the middle innings, before exploiting a middle reliever.

87.   They initially made him a middle reliever for El Paso of the -Class AA Texas League, then moved him up to closer.

88.   This was after the Mets made it past the middle relievers.

89.   Torre is intrigued by the possibility of starting Mendoza, but he also enjoys the luxury of having him available as a middle reliever.

90.   Torre noted the irony in this because Rivera was among the first dominant middle relievers in the current era to demonstrate the potential of that role.