Kuzul

Wondering where ace Cliff Lee will be bring his talents in 2011?

Here is the latest news.

Last night while attending a Christmas party, I happen to be introduced to a man who went to college with Lee’s Arkansas neighbor and happens to be one of his closet friends.

In asking what he had heard, the response was that Lee had not made a decision as of Friday afternoon.

He confirmed that Lee liked Texas but that he is afraid he will regret the opportunity to be a New York Yankee. The fact that old teammate CC Sabathia and good old boy AJ Burnett absolutely love playing in the Bronx is very significant for Lee.

The Rangers are playing up the small town and southern roots angle. Also, the Lee’s just moved into their new house in Little Rock so to up and move again is scary and will upset his kids.

Overall, this man had only heard a lot of the rumors from his buddy’s wife. The wife thinks Lee will stay in Texas, but his wife is only listening more because of Amber Sabathia who absolutely loves being in New York.

From what it sounded like, Lee will sign with the Rangers but remember if he was so happy in Arlington he would have signed by now.

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The Cliff Lee decision, barring any unforeseen final efforts like the Nationals offering Jayson Werth-like money, seems to be narrowed down to the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees.

If both are offering seven-year deals and both are dangling similar amounts of money, then what might be the tipping point for Lee?

I would argue that the decision-making factor for Lee might be the same one that swayed LeBron James in his decision to go to Miami.

Now, I am not pretending that this was the only issue in James’ decision, but I can’t help but feel that it was certainly a big-time factor.

LeBron decided not to go to the New York Knicks. Instead, he opted for the Miami Heat. Miami, being located in Florida, has no personal state income tax, whereas New York taxes at nine percent, among the highest in the country.

Did this influence LeBron’s decision? I don’t know. Will it influence Cliff Lee’s decision that the Texas constitution restricts a personal income tax? Let’s take a closer look.

New Yorkers will argue, and they may have a point, that Cliff Lee will make more money as a Yankee than as a Texas Ranger simply from the all of the off-field things that Yankees tend to bank more coin doing: appearances, autograph signings, endorsements in New York vs. those in Texas, etc.

But that money is income-earned outside of and in addition to the contract that he’ll sign. More income, mind you, on which he will pay more taxes.

Let’s just focus on the tax issue as far as his contract is concerned. He will be playing the majority of his games (home games) in either Texas or New York.

This means that the majority of the time he will be paying the income taxes in either of those two states. The Rangers also play additional games against Houston, which being in Texas, will save Lee more money.

Also consider where Cliff Lee would live. If you play for New York you would probably want to live in Manhattan. If you choose to reside in that borough, and why wouldn’t you, then you will be adding roughly an additional four percent city tax to your already huge tax burden.

Sure, Cliff Lee could live in New Jersey or Connecticut in order to save some tax money but if that is his train of thought then he would just sign with Texas and not pay those taxes in the first place.

The Steinbrenners, however, have come up with a pseudo-solution to the corner in which their tax-heavy state has painted the Yankees.

It is rumored that the Steinbrenners have been known to pay the local taxes for their players as an enticement to sign with the Bombers. Not a bad deal.

Plus there are accountants more than willing to work with a player like Cliff Lee who can shelter his money from these taxes through certain deductions, etc…

So, will the tax price tag that comes with living in one of the most expensive cities in America push Cliff Lee to stay in the Lone Star State or will he go for the pinstripes and pay income tax?

At the amount of money Lee is going to make, I am not sure it will even matter to him. But if he is listening and the tax burden is not an issue to Cliff Lee, then I propose that he stay in Texas and take nine percent of his income and make the check out to Jeff Cockey. Or he could give it to a charity, I suppose.

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Cliff Lee, Cliff Lee, Cliff Lee. Did I mention Cliff Lee?

If you’re Brian Cashman, a Yankee fan or anyone living in or near New York, you are probably beginning to get tired of hearing the name of someone who, as of right now, has nothing to do with the New York Yankees.

Sure, Lee is worth the hype. After leading the league with a 2.54 ERA and winning the Cy Young award in 2008, Lee has put on a show in the American League. Most recently, he carried the Texas Rangers through the postseason, giving up just three runs in three starts before falling apart in the World Series. 

But the Yankees have invested so much time and effort into signing a player that may not even want to come to New York. So what happens if he doesn’t sign in New York?

True, we were saying the same thing about C.C. Sabathia a couple years ago, but it’s not as though the Yankees have A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira as backups this time around. The Yankees have many problems to solve, and now they have created a situation where it’s Lee or nothing.

It didn’t have to be that way.

The Yankees expressed no interest in other pitching options such as Jorge De La Rosa, Scott Downs, George Sherrill and Ryan Rowland-Smith to name a few. Not to say the Yankees should have signed them, but they should have at least engaged some of them in conversation, ensuring that they would have a plan B if Lee did not sign.

In the case of Lee not coming to New York, the Yankees have very little breathing room. Joba Chamberlain and Ivan Nova would be the in-club options for starting pitcher, but in one case you lose a relief pitcher, and in both cases you experience a significant decline from Lee.

But before we go ahead and speculate, it is important to note that we have no idea what is going on in Lee’s mind. Income tax, commute to his home; none of these matter. In the end, it will likely be a combination of money, money, money and maybe a small hint of family issues that will influence Lee’s decision. But again, we just don’t know.

The sad truth is that both the Rangers and Yankees have gotten so caught up in signing Lee that neither of them has a clear plan B—as mentioned before—and that has led both of them to drive up the price, a risky move that they have forced themselves into.

While it’s easy for us to get caught up in what Lee has done over the last six years, we forget that there was also his career before that. 

Lee has had ERAs of 2.54, 3.22 and 3.18 in the last three seasons respectively. That’s pretty good, but why does he have a career 3.85 ERA? Because he had ERAs of 6.29, 4.40, and 5.43 in three of his six seasons before his breakout season in 2008.

Red flag, red flag!

I am a firm believer that pitchers can reinvent themselves, but I am also a firm believer that you don’t give a guy seven years just because he did well over one-third of his career. In any player’s case, there is an entire story to be told, but with Lee, nobody has spoken a word.

And for that reason, the Yankees and Rangers are swimming in their ignorance. Even if they realized three weeks ago that Lee was not worth it, it would have been too late. Poor planning has forced them both to put everything they have into bringing in Lee, who, despite some question marks, is the indisputable leader of an uninspiring free agent class.

In other words, New York and Texas, at this point, have no choice but to haul in Lee.

The Yankees, however, do have a little wiggle room. They still have A.J. Burnett, C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and maybe even Andy Pettitte. So, if you are forced to start the season with Ivan Nova or Joba Chamberlain as your fifth starter, it’s not the end of the world.

If the Yankees don’t, in fact, sign Lee, they shouldn’t give up. Yes, it will be depressing, but the 2010 postseason revealed that the Yankees’ problems extend beyond pitching; there are always other places to improve.

If there is one thing that is more concerning than the Yankees’ pitching situation (which really isn’t all that bad), it is their catching situation. As it is now, the Yankees will go into the regular season with Jesus Montero, an unproven prospect, and Francisco Cervelli, a solid but mediocre youngster, as the starting catchers; not too inspiring.

Nevertheless, something has been whispered in the baseball world that should be ringing loudly in the minds of Yankee fans. According to the Daily News, the Yankees have offered a one-year deal to 27-year-old, former Dodgers catcher Russell Martin.

Martin would give the Yankees the best possible improvement they can get apart from, and possibly even including, Lee. He has a career .385 on-base percentage and can potentially hit around 20 home runs per season. He’s also a great defensive catcher, taking home a Gold Glove in 2007.

He has been on the decline the last couple of years, but he is a very solid player who is in the prime of his career. He would give the Yankees a spark behind the plate that they have not seen in a very long time. 

The Yankees have already made their mistake, and they shouldn’t prolong it. With no plan B, the Yankees’ future looks dark should Lee decide to pitch in the desert. With little time left, however, Martin could be the Yankees’ silver lining in a slow offseason. 

After all, if the Yankees didn’t mean it when they said Bubba Crosby would be the starting centerfielder in 2006, so what makes us think they mean it when they say Cervelli will be their starting catcher in 2011?

Listen to Jess on What’s on Second: The Seamheads.com Radio Hour Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET. Follow him on Twitter  @jesskcoleman or send him an e-mail at jess@jesskcoleman.com.

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Now that the Winter Meetings are over and Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth have signed mammoth contracts, what’s next? What other impact free-agents are still out there? 

It looks more likely this winter that there will be significant player movement via trade. In this economic climate it makes sense for smaller market teams to trade players who are looking at large salary increases in the near future in exchange for younger players that they can control for a significant amount of time.

Let’s take a look at 15 of the various rumors still circulating and see if they have any juice behind them.

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After it was announced that Carl Crawford will play the next seven years in Boston, every Sox fan had the same thought: “Yes!  Suck it, New York!!!!”  Five seconds later, every Boston fan shared this thought as well: “Well, I guess that’s it for either Ellsbury or Cameron in Beantown.” The third thought that popped into every Boston fan’s head was, “Oh S—!! Now the Yanks will get Lee for sure!!”

Now, the biggest question for the Red Sox is not who will pitch the 7th inning, but if the Crawford signing was worth having to face Lee in the division. The Carl Crawford signing undoubtedly forces the Stein Brothers to cough up whatever amount necessary to net Cliff Lee to satisfy angry fans.

Every Yankee fan knows that George Steinbrenner would never allow Boston to get two MVP-type players in one offseason without New York adding its own superstar. Hal and Hank know it too, and they won’t let themselves be known as the guys who let Boston win the division in ’11. New York will have to push extra hard to put Lee in pinstripes now. 

Many Boston fans now wonder, should they have gone after Lee instead? In this world where Sawx fans would almost rather their team finish 5th in the division than see New York win a championship, would it have been smarter to get Lee and block the Yankees from adding what they desperately need?

Theo Epstein probably thought of getting Lee instead, but after an embarrassing display during the 2003-04 offseason negotiations for Alex Rodriguez, he probably thought it was best not to directly compete with the Yankees for fear of losing to them. Boston cannot just step aside and let New York have whichever free agents they want. In order to beat the Yankees during the season, Boston needs to step up and beat them during the offseason by going after the players the Yankees want as well.

If Boston signed Lee, their rotation would feature five aces, the best in baseball. Daisuke Matsuzaka, the biggest question mark in the rotation after posting a 4.69 ERA in 2010, would be bumped to the bullpen, or moved to another team in a trade. Boston would have no question marks regarding their rotation, while the outfield would still be pretty solid without Crawford. Ellsbury can steal 60 bases, Cameron can play excellent defense, and J.D. Drew can hit 20+ homers per year.

Now, with Crawford, Theo Epstein has to figure out which of his four outfielders he will trade for a useful part. Why add one player when you will just have to get rid of another that’s not bad at all? Mike Cameron had a .328 OBP in the 48 games he played in last season, while Ellsbury stole 70 bases in his last full season. Neither of those two are bad players, but one will be benched because of the signing of Crawford.

One can present the argument that while Boston didn’t really need a new left fielder, they don’t need a new starting pitcher either. To that, I say you have to look from the perspective of the rivalry. The Red Sox could use a starting pitcher like Lee, and they have the money. They could also use a left fielder, but the Yankees have no need for one. By signing Lee, Boston assures that neither Crawford nor Lee goes to their arch rival. Boston gets the best rotation in the majors, and a better chance to win the division by taking Lee from the Yankees.

Boston would have better spent their money on Cliff Lee rather than Carl Crawford because he would make the rotation unstoppable and the Yankees would miss out on an elite free agent. But because Boston went after Crawford instead, most Boston fans will be muttering, “That damn Cliff Lee,” for the next seven years.

You can follow Charlie at http://twitter.com/#!/charlie123517

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The New York Yankees have made an offer to free agent catcher Russell Martin. They have made it clear to Martin and his agent that they view him as a “starting catcher.”

At the beginning of the off-season, the Yankees had told long-time catcher Jorge Posada that they would be moving him towards the role of DH and away from an everyday catcher role. The assumption was that top prospect Jesus Montero would be given a chance to earn the everyday catcher’s job during Spring Training.

Though he is considered weak defensively, Montero is an excellent hitting catcher and the Yankees’ top minor league prospect.

Last season in Triple-A, Montero, 24, hit .289 with 21 home runs and 75 RBI in 453 at bats. In four minor league seasons, Montero hit .314.

While the Yankees continue to compete with the Texas Rangers for prized free agent pitcher, Cliff Lee, they have made little progress.

It was assumed that the Yankees would land Lee simply because they could offer him the most money. But while their initial offer of six years, $140 million was later increased to seven years, $161 million following the signing of outfield Carl Crawford with the Boston Red Sox, Lee hasn’t given the Yankees any word one way or the other.

The Texas Rangers have also been able to keep up with the Yankees by offering Lee a choice of differently structured offers and met with Lee, his wife and his agent Darek Braunecker at Lee’s home in Arkansas on Thursday.

But now that the Yankees have made an offer to Martin and told him they view him as a starter, is this the making of a trade for a pitcher that could involve Montero?

If the Yankees feel their position is weaker than the Rangers’, they would need to have a Plan B should they fail to sign Lee.

The Kansas City Royals have expressed interest in trading their ace Zack Greinke and reports indicate that they would ask for a ton in any trade, and that would almost certainly include Montero.

The Yankees also have another highly-touted catcher in their farm system, Austin Romine. If the Yankees wanted to sign Martin to a one-year contract and trade Montero in a package for Greinke, they could perhaps use Romine as their starting catcher in the 2012 season and platoon Martin along with Francisco Cervelli next season.

Last season for the Royals, Grienke went 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA. But he won the Cy Young Award in 2009, going 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeouts.

Greinke is due to make $13.5 million in each of the next two seasons, much less than the $23 million Cliff Lee would probably command should the Yankees sign him.

But Greinke also has a full no-trade clause, which reportedly includes 15 teams he would decline a trade to.

Greinke has also battled depression and anxiety disorder in the past and it is thought that performing on the biggest stage in baseball, New York, would be an issue.

But Greinke has also recently softened his stance on pitching in New York, so perhaps a deal could be struck should the Yankees lose out on Cliff Lee.

If the Yankees do sign Martin, it gives them the flexibility to package Montero in a trade for another starting pitcher.

Martin has seen his stats steadily decline over the last four seasons. After hitting .293 in 2007, Martin hit .280 in 2008, .250 in 2009 and .248 last season.

In each of those seasons, Martin played in 155 games or less and just 97 last season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers also signed free agent catcher Dioner Navarro on Wednesday, making a return to the club unlikely for Martin.

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The waiting game continues as the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers hold their collective breaths in the wake of Cliff Lee’s looming decision over where he will play for the next six or seven years.

Both teams know that Lee is a difference maker and will be paid accordingly.

According to SI’s Jon Heyman, the Yankees have a big advantage in terms of money and also have a seventh year. But he is also quick to point out that the Rangers, despite offering less money and only six years, do play just four hours away from Lee’s home in Arkansas.

Lee has known about these offers for a few days now, and has had a short time to decide where he will take his services next year and beyond. But the longer it takes, the more it seems to me that he is leaning towards Texas.

Of course that is just my opinion, and it goes against everything we’ve heard about Lee just wanting to go to the highest bidder.

But if he were to return to the Rangers, it would hurt the Yankees in several ways.

The first one is the most obvious. The Red Sox have upgraded their offense in a big way by signing Carl Crawford and trading for Adrian Gonzalez, while the Yankees have basically the same team as last year.

So if Lee doesn’t sign with the Yankees, they will have missed out on pretty much all the big name free agents while the Sox will look a lot better on paper as they head into the season.

Another aspect that has been overlooked by many is Andy Pettitte. All he cares about is winning another ring and he likely would not return for money or personal stats. If he feels the Yankees don’t have a good enough team to win the World Series, then I believe he will retire.

Signing Lee would certainly put the Yankees in a better position to win it all, and I think that Pettitte would come back if they were able to sign Lee. If they don’t get Pettitte or Lee, then the Yankees are kind of in a bind, suddenly needing to find two starting pitchers for next year.

Any way you slice the pie, it’s plain and simple—Lee or bust.

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As the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers battle for position in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, reports have swirled of offers from both teams offering up to seven years in length for the 32-year-old Arkansas native.

A seven year deal would last Cliff Lee through age 39, an age that most starters have already long been deteriorating physically. There were just four pitchers in the 39-and-over club this past season: Jaime Moyer, Tim Wakefield, Miguel Batista and Brian Moehler. None of them have played up to the demands of a $140M contract, the range of money the Yankees have reportedly offered Lee. Of course, to be fair, none of these four pitchers have been as dominant as Cliff Lee can be.

Then again, neither had Cliff Lee until 2008, his fourth full season for the Cleveland Indians and his age 29 season. In those previous four seasons, Lee was 51-32 with a 4.76 ERA. In 2007, the season before his Cy Young turnaround season, Lee had an ERA of 5.38 in 16 starts and was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo in July. All signs pointed to a disappointing end to Cliff Lee’s professional baseball career.

Things did turn around for the left-hander though, as Cliff Lee returned in 2008 and had himself a career year. He went 22-3 with a phenomenal 2.54 ERA and won the American League Cy Young Award. In one full season, Cliff Lee went from a flop to the top. He followed his 2008 performance with a stellar 2009 season, landing with the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies following a midseason trade. Lee went 4-0 in the playoffs, including two big victories against the New York Yankees, but the Phillies ultimately lost the series 4-2 in part to struggles surrounding the rest of the Philadelphia pitching staff.

Cliff Lee found himself in Seattle following a trade that would bring Roy Halladay to the Phillies. Cliff Lee was great for the Mariners, going 8-3 with a 2.34 ERA in his first 13 starts. Despite this, he was traded midseason once again, this time to division-rival Texas.

The Cliff Lee pickup put Texas in prime position for the playoffs, and with the help of a power hitting roster and a young, impressive pitching staff, the Rangers worked their way all the way into the 2010 World Series. Unfortunately much like the previous year, Lee and the Rangers were removed quite easily by the San Francisco Giants, losing the series 4-1. Lee struggled thoroughly in his Game 1 and Game 5 starts, posting an ERA of 6.94 and allowing the series-clinching home run in Game 5 to Edgar Renteria.

Despite his recent success, there is much to be concerned with when looking at Cliff Lee for such a long-term deal. As was aforementioned, Cliff Lee is 32 years old already and will be 39 by the time a seven year deal would be up. Most pitchers’ struggles begin long before this age and Cliff Lee would be making a lot of money for someone who likely won’t be performing up to par.

Then there’s the possibility that Lee has very well already hit his peak. It is very rare for someone to turn their career around so suddenly as Cliff Lee did and it’s even rarer to do it at the age he did and sustain that success for a long period of time afterward. Cliff Lee is not C.C. Sabathia, he is not 28 years old and it’s quite possible he’s already used most of what he’s got left in him.

Considering the Yankees’ history with big pitcher signings in the past and most recently A.J. Burnett, Brian Cashman and company should be a bit more cautious when pursuing Cliff Lee. Cliff Lee is demanding a contract that is outside his range at this point and both the Yankees and Rangers would be foolish to tie themselves up with a pitcher for seven years who may only give them 3-5 good years, if that.

Unfortunately, it does appear that Cliff Lee will ultimately get what he wants and if that is the case, it’s likely the always eager Yankees will be the ones to suffer for it. I guess it’s really as Lee’s agent Darek Braunecker said, “It’s good to be Cliff Lee.”

It most certainly is.

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As the New York Yankees and Texas Ranger battle for position in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, reports have leaked of offers from both teams getting up to seven years for the 32-year-old Arkansas native.

A seven-year deal would last Cliff Lee through age 39. Most starters have already long been deteriorating physically by this time.

There were only four pitchers in the 39-and-over club this past season—Jaime Moyer, Tim Wakefield, Miguel Batista, Brian Moehler—and none played up to the demands of a $140 million contract, as reports have stated the Yankees have offered Lee.

Of course, none of these four pitchers have been as dominant as Cliff Lee can be.

Then again, neither had Cliff Lee until 2008, his fourth full season for the Cleveland Indians and his age-29 season.

In the previous seasons, Lee was 51-32 with a 4.76 ERA. In 2007, the season before his Cy Young turnaround season, Lee had an ERA of 5.38 in 16 starts and was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo in July.

All signs pointed to a disappointing end to Cliff Lee’s professional baseball career.

Things turned around for the left-hander though, as Cliff Lee returned in 2008 and had himself a career year. He went 22-3 with a phenomenal 2.54 ERA and won the American League Cy Young Award.

In one full season, Cliff Lee went from a flop to the top.

He followed his 2008 performance with a stellar 2009, landing in the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies following a mid-season trade. Lee went 4-0 in the playoffs, including two big victories against the New York Yankees, but the Phillies ultimately lost the series 4-2—in part to struggles surrounding the rest of their pitching staff.

Cliff Lee found himself in Seattle following a trade that would bring Roy Halladay to the Phillies. He was great for the Mariners, going 8-3 with a 2.34 ERA in his first 13 starts. Despite this, he was traded mid-season once again, this time to the division-rival Texas Rangers.

The Cliff Lee pick-up put Texas in prime position for the playoffs, and with the help of a power hitting roster and a young, impressive pitching staff, the Rangers worked their way all the way into the 2010 World Series.

Unfortunately much like the previous year, Lee and the Rangers were removed quite easily by the San Francisco Giants, losing the series 4-1.

Lee struggled in his Game 1 and Game 5 starts, posting an ERA of 6.94 and allowing the series-clinching homerun in Game 5 to Edgar Renteria.

Despite his recent success, there is much to be concerned with when looking at Cliff Lee for such a long-term deal. Most pitchers’ struggles begin long before his age will be during the last years of the potential contract, and Cliff Lee would be making a lot of money for someone who likely won’t be performing up to par.

Then there’s the possibility that Lee has already hit his peak.

It is very rare for someone to turn their career around so suddenly as Cliff Lee did, and it’s even rarer to do it at the age he did while sustaining success for a long period of time afterward.

Cliff Lee is not C.C. Sabathia, he is not 28-years-old, and it’s quite possible he’s already used most of what he’s got in him.

Considering the Yankees’ history with big pitcher signings in the past—most recently A.J. Burnett—Brian Cashman and company should be a bit more cautious when pursuing Cliff Lee.

He is demanding a contract that is outside his range at this point, and both the Yankees and Rangers would be foolish to tie themselves up with a pitcher for seven years who may only give them three to five good ones, if that.

Unfortunately, it appears that Cliff Lee will ultimately get what he wants, and if that’s the case, it’s likely the always eager Yankees will be the ones to suffer for it.

I guess it’s really as Lee’s agent Darek Braunecker said, “It’s good to be Cliff Lee.”

It most certainly is.

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While the baseball world watches and waits for Cliff Lee to make his final decision on where to pitch next season, the competition for his services has never been hotter.

Lee’s decision seems to be between the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers, whom Lee took to their first World Series in franchise history last season.

The Yankees’ initial offer to Lee was for six years between $140 and 150 million, and was then increased to seven years and $161 million.

The Yankees had previously said they would not go to a seventh year with Lee, but just 12 hours after free agent outfielder Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox for seven years and $142 million, New York increased their offer.

Going into the offseason, the Yankees were the clear favorites to sign Lee because they have the deepest pockets. But it’s not nearly as clear cut as that, since the Rangers have been able to hang in with the Yankees’ offers.

The Rangers met with Lee at his Arkansas home today to present him with a variety of differently structured offers.

Rangers general managing partner and CEO Chuck Greenberg would not say whether or not the offers were for six years of more, or how much money, but the team has made it clear they’re aware it will take at least a six-year deal to sign Lee.

It was Greenberg, assistant general manager Thad Levine and co-chairman of the board Ray Davis who met with Lee, his wife, and his agent Darek Braunecker in Arkansas today, reportedly for 90 minutes.

While the Rangers weren’t initially considered able to match the Yankees’ offer as far as dollars are concerned, the inclusion of Davis in the group to meet with Lee is significant. Davis is incredibly wealthy, a billionaire in fact, and should he choose to further invest in the Rangers, and specifically Cliff Lee, perhaps they could surprise some people.

Just as the Yankees increased their offer to Lee on the heels of the Crawford deal, the Rangers too saw it as a sign they needed to step up their efforts as well, according to Greenberg.

“You have to adapt to changing circumstances,” Greenberg told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. “When we heard late last night of the Carl Crawford signing, it didn’t take too much analysis to figure out what the impact of that might be on our prospective competitors. As soon as we heard of that signing, we realized it was important we go to Little Rock and do it today, so we did so.”

While Lee and his agent have fielded offers from both the Yankees and Rangers, they haven’t engaged either side in official negotiations; they’ve just listened to the offers and haven’t actually said anything Lee might want in the deal.

But if Lee simply wanted to accept the bigger offer, wouldn’t he have done so already? Why is he giving the Rangers so much time to put their offers together and meet with Lee multiple times?

Perhaps Lee really doesn’t want to pitch in the Bronx, where the amount of his contract and the expectations that come with it might be too much for the 32-year-old lefty’s shoulders.

Lee has been the Yankees’ one and only target this offseason, so nothing short of a Cy Young season and perhaps a championship will satisfy the fans; especially considering how improved the Boston Red Sox are with the signing of Crawford and the trade for Adrian Gonzalez.

The Rangers went to the World Series with Lee last season, so can anyone really say he would have a better chance to reach the postseason with the Yankees?

After all, Lee and the Rangers demolished the Yankees in the ALCS and it should only get easier given the Yankees’ potential rotation issues without adding Lee and the possible retirement of Andy Pettitte.

It seems as if Lee, one of the most dominant postseason pitchers of his era with a career 7-2 record and 2.13 ERA in 10 postseason starts, could continue to succeed there with either team.

The Rangers are younger, were the best hitting team in the American League last season, and boast a farm system absolutely full of young talent. They could even sign Lee AND still trade for the Royals‘ Zack Greinke if a deal could be struck.

The Rangers are still in this thing. They still have just as good of a chance to sign Lee as the Yankees do, and maybe they have the advantage given the courtesies shown to the Rangers thus far by Lee and his agent.

The Rangers’ offer, though the exact parameters are unknown, probably isn’t near the Yankees’ offer in terms of dollars. But going into the Winter Meetings, the Rangers had said they wouldn’t go past five years. But they went to six when the Yankees started at six. Would they go to seven years now that the Yankees have?

That, we don’t know. But we do know this: Cliff Lee is giving them plenty of time to make up their minds and find the means to put Lee in Arlington.

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