Kuzul

The Boston Red Sox have reportedly signed free agent outfielder Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $142 million contract, which not only drastically improves their lineup and defense, but also puts an immense amount of pressure on the New York Yankees to lock up Cliff Lee.

Two days after trading for Padres slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, Theo Epstein has nabbed the No. 2 player on the open market, meaning Brian Cashman must come away with the crown jewel in order to keep pace.

The Bombers have reportedly offered Lee a six-year, $140 million contract, but must now wait as the pitcher mulls over other offers from the Rangers, the Nationals and maybe other clubs.

The Yankees had been eyeing Crawford for some time now, but the need for another outfielder decreased slightly with Brett Gardner’s impressive 2010 campaign and Curtis Granderson’s strong finish to the season.

Still, Crawford, who has stolen 400 bases over the past eight season and has hit over .300 in five of the last six years, would have been a major upgrade from what New York has now.

But, with Lee being their primary target, the Yanks probably didn’t go as far as they normally would in negotiations with Crawford.

This could be a good thing in the end as it frees up some extra cash to throw Lee’s way. If New York had to go to a seventh year with the 32-year-old Lee, they’ll be more willing to do so now, knowing they won’t have to hand out another massive contract this offseason.

The addition of Crawford and Gonzalez to a lineup that already includes Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, J.D. Drew and David Ortiz gives Boston a clear advantage over the Bombers offensively.

Further, the move makes it even more important that New York increases its pitching depth. Putting Lee behind—or in front of—CC Sabathia in the rotation would give the Yankees the most intimidating 1-2 punch in baseball.

Now they just need to go out and get it done.

Follow me on Twitter at @   JordanHarrison.

Jordan Schwartz is one of Bleacher Report’s New York Yankees and College Basketball Featured Columnists. His book Memoirs of the Unaccomplished Man is available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and authorhouse.com.

Jordan can be reached at jordanschwartz2003@yahoo.com.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

You don’t need to tell Chicago Cubs fans how long it’s been since they won the World Series. The 2010 season was another forgettable summer for the Cubs, but there are players available that can help them improve for 2011.

One of those players is Carlos Pena, who the Cubs signed on Tuesday. The Cubs need more power in their lineup and a better infield defense, and Pena will help them in both areas.

The Cubs could also use help in their pitching rotation, especially in their bullpen. The Cubs have had a respectable payroll the last decade, but they need to start spending money more wisely.

Now let’s look at five free agents who could help the Cubs return to the postseason in 2011.

Begin Slideshow

After months and weeks of speculation, rumors and debates, the Yankees are breaking out their checkbook for the biggest prize on the free agent market.

The Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman officially made their first offer to free agent left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee for a six-year deal and a contract ranging anywhere from $138-150 million dollars.

Since the Baseball Winter Meetings began on Monday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the Lee rumors to different teams have been running rampant.

There was a lot of talk after the Nationals signed Jayson Werth to a seven-year deal worth $126 million, they were going to offer Lee a potential seven-year deal as well.

Two Washington Post reporters quickly shot down the notion of Lee going to the Nationals, thinking that is nothing more than a dream.

On Wednesday, after the Yankees submitted their offer, Lee’s agent Darek Braunecker left the winter meetings to go back to Little Rock, Arkansas to meet with Lee and his family to discuss the offers and options.

There has also been a lot of talk on how many years and dollars the Yankees were willing to go for Lee. Many felt that the Yankees would offer six years, but not go beyond seven, which is the plan for right now.

As of right now, the feeling is that the Rangers will offer Lee a deal of five years and upwards of $20 million per season, but Texas, their general manager Jon Daniels and president Nolan Ryan may be skeptical to give Lee six years. Ryan has said if it came down to dollars, the Rangers would not be able to compete with the Yankees.

In fact, Texas has come up with a “Plan B” in case Lee does not re-sign, which includes either converting closer Neftali Feliz into a starter or trading for Royals ace Zack Greinke.

Many feel that if the Rangers, Angels or Phillies do jump into the bidding for Lee and make a significant and competitive offer, the Yankees could up their offer with another year or more money into the contract that would simply blow away the competition.

As of Wednesday night, according to New York Post’s George King, ESPN’s Andrew Marchand and New York Daily News Mark Feinsand, the deal the Yankees offered to Lee was for six years and about $140 million, which would pay Lee around $23.3 million per season.

Sports Illustrated and WFAN’s Jon Heyman has said there were two mystery teams who offered Lee a seven-year deal, but a lot of people still expect the Yankees to be the front runners in the negotiations.

Now the many, many questions begin to come after this type of story.

If the Rangers did offer Lee five years, will they try to improve their offer for him?

Will any other team try to compete with the Yankees offer for Lee?

If teams like Texas, Philadelphia and Los Angeles decide to get an offer worthy to compete with the Yankees, how much will the Yankees raise their offer for Lee?

How long will it take for Lee to decide?

But the most important question of them all…..

Who will sign Cliff Lee this winter?

Stay tuned.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Brewers GM Doug Melvin confirmed that the Brewers were one of the teams that met with Carl Pavano and his agent, Tom O’Connel, on Tuesday.

Melvin was rather tight lipped about the meeting saying, “I don’t want to get into anything other than we met with him.”

According to most, Pavano is considered the next best remaining free-agent starter after Cliff Lee and that’s not saying much. This year’s free-agent class is practically devoid of impact arms and probably the next best one, Jorge de la Rosa, has already re-signed with the Colorado Rockies.

If the Brewers are serious in their pursuit of Pavano, they will have competition. There have been multiple reports that the Minnesota Twins are making a strong push to re-sign the 34 year-old right-hander. There have also been reports that the Washington Nationals have serious interest as well. I would assume that their interest may diminish if they are able to pry Cliff Lee away from his other suitors.

Many believe that Pavano and his agent are seeking a three-year deal in the $30-$40 million range. For a pitcher with a lengthy injury history like Pavano’s, the risk with that type of deal is enormous to a team like the Brewers.

The Brewers have been through this before. This stinks a bit like that massive failure that was Jeff Suppan. If Melvin is serious and spends that kind of money on Pavano, he needs to be prepared for the backlash he will receive from Brewer Nation.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

While the Yankees have free agent pitcher Cliff Lee directly in their sights, the Winter Meetings continue around them.

Teams are trying to find talent wherever they can in the hopes of bolstering their respective team for 2011.

While Lee is the biggest free agent on the market, outfielder Carl Crawford is a close second.

Crawford’s combination of speed, power and defense makes him a fit for almost every team. His price tag is going to be very high after another free agent outfielder, Jayson Werth, signed a seven-year, $125 million contract with the Washington Nationals.

Crawford was already going to ask for a contract of around seven years, but it’s going to cost even more to land him than it did Werth because Crawford is a much better overall player.

Going into the offseason, the Yankees were considered the favorites to land Lee since they can offer him the most money. And if Lee wants a chance to play for a contending team every season, the Yankees again appear to most logical destination.

The Yankees have made the first public offer for Lee at six years, $140-150 million.

That’s probably more money than any other team will offer the lefty, and the years are probably the ceiling as well.

But while Lee obviously has to sign somewhere, he and his agent Darek Braunecker haven’t formally engaged any team in negotiations. Instead, they’re biding their time and waiting for something.

Lee is holding the Yankees hostage, preventing them from aggressively pursuing any other free agent. And while the Yankees sit in a holding pattern, the rest of the market is developing around them.

A report is coming out of the Winter Meetings that says outfielder Carl Crawford, potentially the Yankees’ free agent fall-back guy should they loose out on Lee, is going to land with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com is reporting that, according to “multiple high-ranking baseball sources,” the outfielder is expected to land with the Angels.

The Yankees reportedly feel they have enough in their budget to sign both Lee and Crawford. But if they have to keep waiting on Lee just to give them a chance to start negotiating, will Crawford sign with another team?

There are multiple reports that Crawford is the Angel’s No.1 focus and one baseball source said, “It was almost like he’s already on their team.”

The Angels will have to decide exactly how far they’re willing to extend themselves financially to keep Crawford away from teams like the Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers or Detriot Tigers that are also interested in the outfielder.

The Yankees need Cliff Lee; it’s no secret. With Andy Pettitte likely to retire and A.J. Burnett unreliable, the Yankees’ starting rotation needs a shot in the arm. Clif Lee is the perfect perscription.

But while they sit on their hands, waiting for Lee to even engage them in talks, Carl Crawford might be slipping through their fingers.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The MLB offseason is already in full swing, and many top free agents have already been taken off the board.

So who’s left? And what players might be available for teams that don’t have the pocket change to go out and sign a free agent?

Begin the slideshow to see the top five players available to sign or trade for at each position.

Begin Slideshow

Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee are still available in Major League Baseball Free Agency. Some of the major names have already landed with new teams including Jayson Werth and Victor Martinez.

That leads to the question of who are the best remaining free agents. While it is a simpler process to measure these players from a numbers standpoint, who are the best value players remaining. In other words, who provides the most “bang for the buck”.

Let’s take a look at the 50 most valuable players still available on the market.

Begin Slideshow

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.—The new Cliff Lee rumors indicate that there are two teams that have made seven-year offers for the left-handed pitcher.

The New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels have all denied they are one of the teams.

No one knows if the reports are true, and they could have just been perpetuated by Lee’s agent, Darek Braunecker, to build up interest for the Rangers and Yankees to offer him a seventh guaranteed year.

As I wrote previously, that is a great move by Braunecker because the key is to get every team thinking seven years. Prior talks were all about a five- or six-year deal.

Now they have been bumped up to where the Yankees are already saying they will not go more than six years, no matter how many teams offer seven. That offer by the Yankees could officially come as early as Wednesday.

Before the Winter Meetings, the talk was that it would be the Yankees and five years.

Braunecker has done a good job, and he is a pretty good agent. He does what is best for his clients, without all the bluster and spreadsheets used by Scott Boras.

Look what Braunecker did for A.J. Burnett, a guy who conveniently has good years right before his arbitration year, his free-agent year and his opt-out season.

However, let’s say there are two teams that have privately offered Lee seven years.

I believe those teams would be the Los Angeles Angels and the Philadelphia Phillies. Those are just my thoughts and my guesses; I have not heard anything definitive.

The Angels have a ton of money to spend, and their owner, Arte Moreno, was not happy about missing out on the playoffs last season. They really have not delved into any big-money free agents since Torii Hunter.

And, at that time, they were never viewed as being in on Hunter. Like the predator after the prey, the Angels like to sit back and observe, then pounce.

It would not surprise me to see the Angels boost their rotation with Lee in their lineup with Carl Crawford. Getting two guys who the division rival Rangers desperately want would severely shift the tide in favor of the Halos.

That would give the Angels six viable starters with Dan Haren, Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana, Joel Piniero and Scot Kazmir. Signing Lee would make one of them expendable, or the Angels could move one of them in a trade.

I don’t believe there would be much of a trade market for Kazmir, but Santana would find a few teams interested. Maybe those who lost out on Lee?

Meanwhile, the Phillies also have available cash. The Phillies saw up close when they lost to the San Francisco Giants what an extremely formidable top three in the rotation can do in a postseason run. I am sure they would love to add Lee back in the fold and provide that alternating left arm between righties Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt.

Also, Major League Baseball is a copycat business. What works well for certain teams is often copied by others hoping to reap the same benefits.

While this goes against what Lee desires in being the true No. 1, the seven-year contract and ability to compete every season would lessen any ego effects of being a No. 2 behind Halladay.

Lee also loved his time in Philadelphia.

Going to Philly would make a strong rotation of Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton. They could also try to save money by making Hamels and Blanton expendable, but that tactic burned them when they dealt Lee last offseason and obtained Halladay.

While it would be tough to deal Blanton and his $8.5 million per year salary for the next two seasons, Hamels would surely command lots of suitors if he were offered on the trade market. He is under control for two more seasons, including an arbitration year, after his current three-year, $20.5 million deal expires. He can be a free agent after 2012.

I am not saying that the Phillies would deal Hamels, but it is always a possibility as they have never been excited about Hamels’ progress. He is also making $9.5 million this year, and his arbitration figure next season would likely approach $12 million.

The Angels and Phillies are just speculation on my part. They could be good fits for Lee based on money available and team histories.

But if there are no teams willing to go to a seventh year and it came down to the Yankees and Rangers, my guess is that Lee would choose Texas because of his comfort level.

The Rangers will eventually go for that sixth year to get the guy they want, just as the Red Sox went a seventh year with Adrian Gonzalez. Whether the Yankees offer Lee his desired seventh year will likely decide if he ends up going to New York. But Yankees GM Brian Cashman has a solid history of convincing free agents to come play in New York, most notably CC Sabathia. 

But it is tough to see Lee heading to New York, especially if the contract offered by Texas is the same.

However, as I have repeatedly said over the last two months, the Los Angeles Angels would like nothing more than to make a big splash and whisk Lee away from their division rivals.

But to the disappointment of many here, with more than a few teams interested in Lee, it does not look as though he will be signed at the Winter Meetings.

It may take a few more days, but it should get done by Christmas.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As soon as GM Theo Epstein & Company completed the trade to acquire Adrian Gonzalez, and long before they boarded a plane for Florida to attend the MLB Winter Meetings, their collective attention immediately turned to other priorities. What is next on the agenda?

Epstein has made it clear the club has a couple of needs that need to be addressed this week: a pair of relievers and a right-handed bat.

Begin Slideshow

Cliff Lee is the hottest player on the free agent market right now, but that doesn’t mean that he and the Los Angeles Angels would be a good fit. 

A “mystery team” is said to have made a seven-year offer last night for the starting pitcher, and speculation abounds as to who it was. ESPN that same night also wouldn’t disclose their source, but claimed that the Angels had entered the race for Lee.

Could those pieces of news be related?

Angels fans should probably hope not. As strange as it sounds to consider it better to not go after the best pitcher on the market, that’s exactly what Los Angeles should do.

Read on to learn why.

Begin Slideshow