Results tagged ‘ Cliff Lee ’
Quick hits on the pitching front
Some quick-hit items and rumors from around the Yankees, on a day when Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven meet the media in New York as Hall of Famers:
- Could Jeremy Bonderman be on the Yankees’ radar to add starting pitching depth? Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York thinks so. There have been reports of the Yankees’ interest in Bonderman, who was 8-10 with a 5.53 ERA in 30 games (29 starts) for the Tigers last year.
- If Andy Pettitte doesn’t return, Jon Heyman of SI.com believes they will sign free agent Rafael Soriano as a setup man. Cashman had said earlier this winter that he wasn’t inclined to spend closer money on a setup man, but that was in Kerry Wood‘s case — before Cliff Lee came off the board — so perhaps that stance is flexible.
- Cashman told us this week that he’d prefer to sign a starter over a reliever, and the Yankees are also reported to have “a modicum” of interest in Freddy Garcia and Kevin Millwood, according to Heyman.
- Brian Schlitter is the newest Yankee, claimed off waivers from the Cubs on Wednesday. He figures to get a look in Spring Training and might pop up in the Bronx at some point this season. Schlitter had a 12.38 ERA in seven big league outings last year, but had a 3.15 ERA and 13 saves at Triple-A. Here’s a Q&A with Schlitter.
- Nick Swisher will play himself in two episodes of ABC’s ‘Better with You,’ joining his new wife, Joanna Garcia. They’ll be set to air in February.
Cliff Lee keeps ‘em all waiting
Somewhere in Arkansas, Cliff Lee may be sitting at his kitchen table, staring at a menu of contract offers from both the Yankees and the Rangers. Make no question about it, there is really no wrong choice for him — his ability to throw a baseball has created a bidding war where he could select blindfolded and still wind up a marvelously rich man.
Of course, there’s more thought to it than that, and so we all wait. Did the Rangers make enough of an impact in Lee’s 3 1/2 months there that he’ll want to keep playing in Texas, trying to pitch them back to the World Series while also enjoying the proximity to the town he calls home?
Or will it be the Yankees, who have come in heavy-handed and clamoring for Lee to bring his services to the bright lights of New York, vowing to outbid all comers and wielding a promise to drape him in pinstripes through the 2017 season?
Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner told The Associated Press it would “behoove” Lee to select the Bombers’ offer:
“For somebody of that stature, it would certainly behoove him to be a Yankee, which would probably be for the rest of his career. I think that would be a great move for him but, of course I’m prejudiced.”
Rangers president Nolan Ryan told MLB.com on Saturday that he – like everyone else – is just playing the wait-and-see game.
“If they are really wrestling with it, they’ll probably take the weekend and come to a decision on Monday. I’ve run all my traps and don’t know anything, so we’ll just wait and see.”
After going through Cleveland, Philadelphia, Seattle and Texas, Cliff Lee is certainly entitled to his run of free agency. So will he take full advantage of it, not leaving a cent on the table? He spent most of the Winter Meetings hunting deer – is he going to be comfortable in New York? And how important to him is the ability to get home on off-days (something that Andy Pettitte has grown weary of)?
The only thing we can all say with certainty is that Lee will eventually make a decision in an arena where there really are no wrong choices. Until then, the executives for at least two Major League teams will keep the lights on.
Yankees make their offer to Cliff Lee
The Yankees have made an offer to free agent left-hander Cliff Lee, general manager Brian Cashman has confirmed.
Cashman would not disclose the years or dollar amount, but it is believed to be in the neighborhood of six years and about $140 million. Cashman said that his business is in a holding pattern while they wait for a response.
“He’s someone that’s worth waiting for. We certainly hope that he picks us,” Cashman said. “We think we have a lot to offer, but we understand there is competition.”
Lee’s agent, Darek Braunecker, has left the Winter Meetings to meet with Lee and his wife in Arkansas.
“He’s got all the information he needs from us,” Cashman said. “And I assume he’s got the same from everyone else. I know we’re in the water here.”
With Jeter done, Steinbrenner ready to spend on Lee
Derek Jeter wasn’t the only one unhappy to see the details of his contract negotiations splashed on the back covers of the New York tabloids. In his office in Tampa, Fla., you can bet Hal Steinbrenner spent a few moments fuming, as what both sides agreed should be a private negotiation spilled into the public arena. “We were all upset and a little bit angry that it reached the level that it did,” Steinbrenner said. “You’ve always got unnamed sources making this comment or that comment. That’s what sells papers. But it was escalating, no doubt, which is why we sat down together again face-to-face and started hashing this thing out. It was a difficult three weeks, but we got it done. Everybody is ready to move on.?”
The truth was, both sides knew that they should continue their relationship. Jeter wanted to wear no other uniform and the Yankees needed him on the field as their shortstop and team captain.
“In the very first meeting we had, I tried to make that as clear as I could, that we wanted him to be a Yankee,” Steinbrenner said. “This family has a lot of respect for him and the contributions he has made for the organization.”
With talks stalled, Steinbrenner said that the turning point was a pair of meetings between Jeter’s camp and the Yankees, one in Tampa and another in New York.
“I think it helped a lot,” Steinbrenner said. “Number one, we got to air our frustrations about how big the media part of it had become. We just talked about where we thought we needed to end up, and it all turned out for the best.”
Now it’s on to improving the team, and Steinbrenner said he has the money already earmarked for a big offer to free agent left-hander Cliff Lee.
“I’m a budget guy, you know that. But we’ve got some money to spend,” Steinbrenner said. “If we’ve got money coming off, we almost always put most or all of it back in. That’s what the fans expect. They expect us to field a good team every year and we’re going to do that. We are involved.”
Lee’s agent: Yanks’ visit was “very favorable”
Darek Braunecker, the agent for heavily-sought free agent left-hander Cliff Lee, spoke for about 10 minutes Monday in the lobby of the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort.
While Braunecker said it was too early to tell if Lee would find a home by the end of the meetings Thursday, he wouldn’t be surprised. Braunecker is in the process of setting up meetings with a number of teams, though the Yankees and Rangers are thought to be Lee’s most aggressive suitors.
Brian Cashman’s November visit to Lee’s home in Arkansas was brought up as a topic. Here is what Braunecker said he and Lee took from that lunch together:
“It gave Cliff an opportunity to personalize the organization. The only experience he had with the Yankees prior to that was going to Yankee Stadium and playing in Yankee Stadium and his experiences in New York. It’s a good opportunity. Certain levels of free agents have the opportunity to go face to face with general managers, managers and pitching coaches and ownership. It’s something we anticipated and expected, and something that Cliff enjoyed. He’d never had a chance to visit with Brian Cashman before. You can’t help but like him. It was very favorable.”
Lee is on a hunting trip this week, and Braunecker has promised to call him with any necessary updates. Shooting deer might be one thing Lee would have to say goodbye to in moving to the tri-state area, but as far as Lee’s ability to be a ‘New York guy,’ Braunecker had this to say:
“Cliff has clearly demonstrated he can pitch in any market. When you think about it, he’s gone from Cleveland to Philly to Seattle to Texas. He hasn’t had a hiccup in any of them.”
Cliff Lee will take his time
The drop-off between Cliff Lee and the rest of the free agent starting pitching market is sizable, and that allows the left-hander a certain amount of comfort as his representatives approach the task of securing a large contract this winter.
Lee’s agent, Darek Braunecker, told The Associated Press on Monday that his camp is only “gathering information” at this point, and that no deal is expected to be reached quickly.
“This one certainly is a little bit unique in that he’s clearly the best player on the free-agent market and not a lot of other things are going to impact our position on Cliff,” Braunecker said.
Braunecker may not even attend next week’s General Manager’s meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., not needing to drum up interest in Lee. There is also no need to take Lee on a tour of the cities where he could pitch next year.
The Yankees and Rangers are thought to be among his most interested suitors, while the Phillies, Brewers, Cubs, Nationals and Angels could also jump in. Lee’s eventual contract may be a five or six year deal, worth upwards of the $23 million per season the Yankees are paying CC Sabathia.
“We’re going to take it on of kind of a team-by-team, case-by-case basis. I don’t expect Cliff to be flying all over the country,” Braunecker said. “We’re really in just the infancy stages of it all. We don’t really ever handicap the timing of any of this stuff. We believe that when the right deal presents itself, we’ll be prepared to act. And when that might be, that’s anybody’s guess at this point.”
For the moment, Yanks going with Mitre
Some notes and quotes from around the New York media this morning as we gear up for the July 31 non-waivers Trade Deadline…
Where will Cliff Lee be tonight?
Updating this post to reflect the latest…
By now, you’ve probably heard the reports that the Yankees were involved heavily in trade talks to acquire Cliff Lee from the Mariners – maybe as soon as today. Lee is scheduled to pitch for Seattle tonight and, at last check, he’s still in line to do so. But if Brian Cashman can get this done, he’d be scratched and sent down the hallway to be fitted for a Yankees uniform.
There may have been a late snag as the two clubs worked on getting Lee into the Yankees dugout before first pitch. The New York Post was out front in reporting Friday afternoon that the Mariners were backing away from the deal, which had earlier been reported to be very close to completion.
It seems the deal would have included Jesus Montero, and reports have mentioned Double-A second baseman David Adams as well. Montero’s bat is considered close to big league ready, but he’s a catcher and the Yankees can deal from a position of strength there.
Jorge Posada is still under contract for another year, Francisco Cervelli is a capable backup and prospect Austin Romine projects as a better all-around catcher than Montero, whose big build might move him from behind the plate down the line.
So why make the deal at all? Lee would slide in as either the Yankees’ No. 1 or No. 2 starter, depending on where you want to put his old Indians teammate, CC Sabathia. All-Stars Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes are also in the rotation, but A.J. Burnett and Javier Vazquez have been suspect at times this year.
With a six-man rotation, Vazquez could have become a trade commodity – he’s a free agent after ’10 and the Yankees aren’t likely to offer him arbitration. This could be a way to get some compensation for a pitcher who might be the odd man out, even though he’s had a 3.05 ERA since May 12. Also, with Nick Johnson out, the Yankees could have used Vazquez to acquire a bat.
Hughes a little too strong
Phil Hughes was a little bit off last night provided a few days off extra rest, as Cliff Lee and the Mariners beat the Yankees, 7-4, on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees also welcomed pitching coach Dave Eiland back after his lengthy absence for personal reasons.
It’s worth noting that All-Star balloting ends tomorrow, and while Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano are secure, the rest of the Yankees could use your help. Fans can vote up to 25 times using MLB.com, so do your part and make your voice heard.
Greetings from Tropicana Field
The Yankees have not made a roster move today to call up an outfielder, believing they can get through another day and wanting to keep an extra arm in their tired bullpen.
But there are some rumblings filtering through the Internet that Sergio Mitre’s spot on the pitching staff might not be safe: there is a report that states the Yankees and Reds are discussing a trade that would bring former Red Sox Bronson Arroyo to New York.
Seems the Bombers are also kicking the tires with the Mariners on Jarrod Washburn (again), and have been linked to scouting Cliff Lee and Ian Snell, among others. So, yes, if the Yankees do wind up making a move, it looks like it’s going to be for a pitcher.
More in a bit.
Bryan Hoch
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