Cliff Lee is a free agent this offseason, as everyone knows by now, and let us celebrate by taking a look at the five best suitors for his pitching services.
The ace seems content in Texas, but staying put is no fun—just ask LeBron James.
Click to view five potential Cliff Lee landing spots this offseason.
MLB Rumors continue to swirl as free agents Cliff Lee, Jayson Werth and Derek Jeter await their next massive deal.
The Yankees are considered the favorites to land Lee. But the Rangers remain in the picture with the new ownership group ready to spend following the World Series appearance.
While New York continues to talk to Lee, the fate of the Captain remains up in the air.
After both sides handled early negotiations through the media, they finally met face-to-face Tuesday in Tampa.
Time will tell if the meeting produced any progress.
Elsewhere on the free agent market, Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford are both being pursued by the Red Sox.
Crawford is the top target, but his lofty demands could mean Werth ends up in Boston.
Here’s a closer look at the latest hot-stove rumors throughout Major League Baseball.
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The well-documented, off-season story regarding free agent pitcher Cliff Lee has gained so much intensity, multiple radio stations in Dallas are broadcasting hourly updates on the sweepstakes to sign the coveted previous Cy Young winner.
Just don’t expect a one-hour special on ESPN announcing Lee’s decision. It’s not his style.
Neither are the bright lights of New York City.
Speculation abounds that Lee covets the bright lights and bipolar fans of Yankee Stadium due to playing in the shadows of many sub-mediocre teams during his career.
Analysts claim he wants what he has earned: Big money and a big market. But the latter also comes with a big load to carry.
The Yankees are aging. Their rotation (other than Lee) is old and very questionable. The franchise’s all-time hits leader, and no-doubt future Hall of Fame inductee, cannot agree on a new deal. The fan base is comparable to the much-envied friendlies in Philly (insert reminder of the incident with Lee’s wife during the ALCS, here).
Sure, the Yankees have money to spend. Nothing is more certain every off-season except for Death and Taxes. But Lee isn’t about the “glitz and glam” of the Big Apple. He realizes there are more important things in life than money and baseball.
Lee has publicly commented on his desire to play for an organization that has a great chance to win multiple World Championships for the foreseeable future.
He has also stated he would love to be close to his family in Benton, Arkansas.
He said he loves the Dallas area and his wife loves the Dallas area.
He said he enjoyed his time with the Rangers and loved the camaraderie within the team.
Did I mention New York has a state income tax?
Welcome to Texas.
We don’t pay state income tax.
Our Ballpark is known around MLB as being very family-driven. Going home to Benton is only a 45-minute flight. The Rangers reached the first-ever Fall Classic with a nucleus of young players who have not yet reached their prime. The farm system is again ranked among the best in baseball.
What was it Lee said after being traded from the Mariners in July? It’s hot?
Welcome to Texas.
We have the hottest summer playing conditions in all of baseball. But, let’s examine. With July and August being the most sweltering, Lee would make approximately six home starts each season during those months. That’s all. What’s wrong with sweating a little? Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenberg sit outside in the heat with the fans every game.
Speaking of the Rangers’ new owners, what better ownership could a prime pitcher ask for than the legendary Hall of Famer, Nolan Ryan?
Greenberg and Ryan have publicly acknowledged their desire and determination to bring a World Championship to Texas. They’ve locked up the best GM in the game to prove that.
John Daniels has proven his ability and dedication to the franchise and taken it to a world class organization in just a few years.
With great ownership, great teammates, close proximity to his Arkansas home, and a good young group of players behind him, the only thing Lee needs to do is sign on the dotted line.
But what will he demand?
The Rangers are prepared to offer Lee a five year deal believed to be around $20 million per season.
If the Yankees offer the same money for an extra sixth year, will Lee bail on Big D and bolt for the Big Apple?
Don’t count on it.
Believe it or not, Yankees, there is more to Lee than money.
Cliff, Welcome to Texas.
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No it’s not Jeter, Rivera or Pettitte and as far as I know Cliff Lee has never been a Yankee so who could it be?
As I type with complete and utter nausea, the player is Sergio Mitre.
No, this is not a joke, as the Yankees have signed Mitre for another year at $900,000 to bring his talents back to the Bronx.
What talents convinced the Yankees to make this decision?
Please, someone let me know ASAP.
This has skipper Joe Girardi’s name written all over it because we know he loves players from his Florida Marlins days in 2006.
Do you remember whose brilliant idea it was to pay Nick Johnson over bringing back the World Series MVP Hideki Matsui?
Well, it was Girardi as Johnson was on the 2004 Marlins too.
GM Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner are doing a great job so far.
Signing Mitre totally solves all the problems on the mound because Mitre has been so good in the past.
Mitre has a career record of 13-29, with a 5.27 ERA over seven seasons. Stellar record, but he also is injured a lot and struggles in big jams on the mound.
Mitre gives Yankee fans shivers, the same way Kyle Farnsworth used too.
What’s next? Announcing that Mitre is going to play shortstop too?
Sorry, but this was one player I was hoping to not see in pinstripes ever again.
Well, I guess Mitre can just hog a roaster spot again for 2011.
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We knew the Cliff Lee sweepstakes were going to heat up as soon as the winter meetings got underway, mostly because Lee made it clear he wasn’t going to listen to offers until the aforementioned meetings began.
Well, according to the New York Post, the Texas Rangers could be tipping their hand a little bit early.
George King III writes that the Rangers could be willing to offer a five-year contract that would pay Lee $23 million annually which would make the contract worth roughly $115 million or more depending on if there are any performance based incentives included.
There’s no doubt that the New York Yankees will respond but the fact that the Rangers have laid their cards on the table, assuming this deal is legit, will force the Yankees to go higher than $120 million to keep the left-hander interested.
I’m curious to hear Ranger fans respond to this deal and if they believe this to be the kind of deal they expected the team to put in front of the guy they landed just before the trade deadline this past season.
Are they putting too much on the line for one guy and could they miss out on other free agents if they end up waiting for Lee’s answer, or do they have a backup plan already in place?
Those questions may not be answered until next week when Lee is expected to officially begin looking at the offers on the table.
Though there’s no guarantee that he’ll make a decision by the end of the winter meetings, I would imagine that teams would like the answer sooner rather than later in order to make corresponding moves.
The Rangers have done the right thing here in my opinion.
Though there’s always a chance that they could be bluffing, if it IS a bluff at least it will let the Rangers know just how far Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenner’s are prepared to go.
We do know that the Yankees re-signed Sergio Mitre earlier today.
It’s not a huge move, but it’s one to keep their bullpen strong.
The drama continues to unfold between them and long time shortstop Derek Jeter.
There are rumors that the Yankees were willing to give him three years while Jeter wanted five or six. I don’t blame the Yankees for balking at that.
Ranger fans are hoping to see Cliff Lee back in the blue and white rather than the infamous pinstripes of the New York Yankees.
However, don’t expect Nolan Ryan to get into a bidding war with the Bronx Bombers. He knows full well they can put more money on the table than his team can. Ryan is hoping for southern-leverage and the fact that Lee will be close to his family in Arkansas by staying in Texas.
Ryan also knows that it’s not a tough sell by saying the Rangers are close to winning a championship as they knocked off the defending champion Yankees to get to the World Series, though they would eventually lose to the San Francisco Giants in five games.
This is an intriguing story and one that will only get better in the coming weeks.
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MLB Rumors: It may be December, but there’s still plenty to talk about in the baseball world.
I know, I know—you probably are worrying about your favorite NFL team, stressing over the BCS or laughing (or crying) over what’s going on with the Miami Heat.
But the MLB is alive and kicking.
There are a ton of rumors (and some news) out there floating around about some of the game’s biggest stars.
So let’s take a look at what’s going on with America’s pastime.
Update: According to Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York, this NY Post report is not true, quoting a source that said, “Nothing’s happening there yet,” adding, “It sounds like a lot of BS being put out by the agent.”
The source also told Matthews that the Yankees haven’t made an offer to Lee either. Actually, Matthews was told that Lee’s agent doesn’t want any offers until the winter meetings.
Another note: So far we’ve heard that the Yankees and Rangers are the only teams seriously interested in Lee’s services, but Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated has heard that there may be other teams “laying in the weeds.” However, like the Post’s original report, that may just be an agent trying to drive up Lee’s price.
Original post: Via George King of the NY Post:
“Armed with the belief the Yankees are willing to pay Cliff Lee $23 million a year, the Rangers are on the verge of making an official offer to retain the left-handed free-agent hurler.
“According to a person with knowledge of Texas’ plans, the Rangers are not wary of going to five years in a contract offer for the 32-year-old Lee. Nevertheless, if Lee opts for the most money, the Rangers are not expected to top the Yankees, who the AL champions believe already have made a five- or six-year offer to Lee.”
So, we know the Rangers offer to Lee is expected to be a five-year deal, but we have no idea how much that offer is expected to be for. Like King wrote, the Yankees offer is believed to be at least $115 million and likely as much as $140 million.
The Rangers have admitted that they cannot match an offer made by the Yankees, so it doesn’t appear that they are going to try. It might not be so smart, but at least they can avoid a bidding war that nobody but Lee and his agent will win. Instead, their hope is that no state income tax and proximity to Lee’s home in Arkansas will come into play.
In the end, though, it’s all about the money. The Yankees are going to offer more money and no income tax in Texas is overrated, as that only counts for home games. The Yankees also have Lee’s good friend in CC Sabathia and a fellow Arkansan, A.J. Burnett, with whom he can carpool on their G6 jets.
The Rangers are looking to get an answer on Lee quickly with the winter meetings coming up next week. That way, if they miss out on him, they can move on to their backup plan, which is expected to be Zack Greinke. The Yankees also would like to sign him quickly, but seem to have more faith that their dollars can lock him down.
Related Stories
November 29, 2010—Carl Crawford Could Wait for the Yankees
November 29, 2010—Yankees Rumors: Cliff Lee Negotiations Should Move Forward Soon
November 24, 2010—Despite Reports Yankees Have Made No Offers to Cliff Lee
November 23, 2010—Yankees Rumors: Yanks Have Offered Lee Six Years and $140 Million
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Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke is reportedly willing to waive his no-trade clause to pitch in New York, Yahoo Sports has reported.
The report comes as a bit of a shock considering Greinke’s past bouts with depression and social anxiety disorder, but while it would seem that the pressure and spotlight would exacerbate this condition, Greinke provides an interesting alternative for the Yankees to signing Cliff Lee.
Could this move really happen? Read on as we examine the possibility.
Never chase your money.
It’s an age-old gambling adage, meaning don’t keep betting when your only goal is to get back what you’ve already lost.
It’s an urge that gamblers at any level must fight and it can be very difficult to resist.
This is how otherwise sane-thinking fathers and uncles end up with broken knee caps and orbital sockets; this is how little Suzie loses a college fund and ends up a lady of the night.
In the world of professional baseball, general managers should be reminded that the “never chase your money” philosophy applies to them as well.
I was thinking about that earlier today when I saw a report about Zack Greinke and his supposed willingness to come to the Yankees. The Royals right-hander is just one year removed from winning the Cy Young award and there have been persistent whispers that he could be moved in a trade this winter.
In case you haven’t noticed, this is an unusually thin year in terms of starting pitching on the open market. It appears that Cliff Lee has better timing than Sal Swatch and Chaz Rolex combined.
Want some more perspective? The general consensus next best option on the market is none other than Carl Pavano, a man who once missed most of a season with a bruised ass.
Obviously, the Yankees would rather rent out their private suites to Ron Jeremy’s production company before giving the American Idle another dollar, so it makes sense that Greinke would pique their interest if they failed to acquire Lee.
But that’s when Brian Cashman should remember: Never chase your money.
I’m sure Greinke is a nice person, but let’s not forget he also left baseball for a time because of some serious anxiety issues. This is the same guy who didn’t even want to have a press conference after he won the Cy Young award.
He appears to enjoy the cameras and bright lights as much as an exposed pederast on an episode of To Catch A Predator.
Bringing him to New York would probably be the most obvious set up for disaster since the last time Javier Vazquez was chucking 83-mph fastballs at the Stadium.
Speaking of Vazquez, here’s to hoping Cashman learned some lessons about chasing the money last winter: Vazquez was a Plan B after Derek Lowe signed with the Braves. Nick Johnson was a Plan B after Johnny Damon chose to sign with the Tigers.
Are we seeing a pattern here?
Greinke would be an even more tempting Plan B because of his obvious skill-set and age, as he just turned 27. But the red flags flapping in the wind simply can’t be ignored.
Ideally, Lee and his beautiful, sweet wife buy the Yankees’ sales pitch and he’ll be endorsing outrageous paychecks for the next six years. But if the courtship fails, the organization must be disciplined enough not to make a panic move that sets the club back even further.
Dan Hanzus writes the Yankees blog River & Sunset and can be reached at dhanzus@gmail.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danhanzus.
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Where Cliff Lee will end up has been one of the hottest topics talked about this off-season. Lee has even been ranked as the number one free agent on the market this year.
Most people around baseball believe that wherever Lee signs he will make that team the instant favorite to be American League Champion. Some of the rumored destinations for Lee include the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels.