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Poll: Do The Yankees Need Cliff Lee

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If the Yankees don't sign Cliff Lee, their rotation will seem shallow, especially if Andy Pettitte retires. C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett are viable starters, but it's hard to see the Bronx Bombers opening the season with Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre in the rotation. You can make the argument that the Yankees need Lee, especially since the next-best free agent starter, Carl Pavano, is not the solution to the Yankees' problems after what happened in his first stint in pinstripes.

Zack Greinke may or may not be a fit for the Yankees, but other elite arms are potentially available in trades. The Yankees inquired on Francisco Liriano and Ricky Nolasco is known to be available. If the Yankees were to pair one of those starters up with Pettitte, their rotation would look strong and they could spend the money they would have committed to Lee on other needs.

Do the Yankees need Cliff Lee?
Yes 58.33% (11,751 votes)
No 41.67% (8,395 votes)
Total Votes: 20,146

Poll: Which Team Will Cliff Lee Choose

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After one month on the free agent market, Cliff Lee may be ready to decide on an offer. The Yankees have made him at least one proposal, the Rangers visited him in Arkansas again and it's too early to rule out interested teams such as the Nationals and Angels. These things are never easy to predict, but at some point the rumors will stop and the decision will be made.

Which team will Cliff Lee choose?
Yankees 45.10% (14,495 votes)
Rangers 39.56% (12,715 votes)
Other 6.65% (2,138 votes)
Nationals 4.53% (1,457 votes)
Angels 4.16% (1,338 votes)
Total Votes: 32,143

Poll: Most Surprising Winter Meetings Deal

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Who thought Jayson Werth would sign for $126MM? Did anyone expect the Red Sox to acquire Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez? And who had Shaun Marcum going to the Brewers? We've seen our share of surprising transactions in the past week or so, so let's vote on which one was the least expected move of all.

Which of the many recent deals surprised you the most?

Which recent deal surprised you the most?
Nationals sign Jayson Werth for $126MM 54.08% (20,399 votes)
Red Sox sign Carl Crawford for $142MM 32.88% (12,401 votes)
Brewers acquire Shaun Marcum 5.62% (2,118 votes)
Cubs sign Carlos Pena for $10MM 4.00% (1,510 votes)
Red Sox acquire Adrian Gonzalez 3.42% (1,289 votes)
Total Votes: 37,717
Which recent deal surprised you the most?
Nationals sign Jayson Werth for $126MM 54.08% (20,399 votes)
Red Sox sign Carl Crawford for $142MM 32.88% (12,401 votes)
Brewers acquire Shaun Marcum 5.62% (2,118 votes)
Cubs sign Carlos Pena for $10MM 4.00% (1,510 votes)
Red Sox acquire Adrian Gonzalez 3.42% (1,289 votes)
Total Votes: 37,717

Poll: Will Russell Martin Be Traded Today?

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The Red Sox have long admired Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, notes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.  With tonight's non-tender deadline less than eleven hours away, there appear to be three possibilities for Martin:

  • The Dodgers could re-sign him at a minimum of $4.04MM.
  • The Dodgers could trade him.
  • The Dodgers could non-tender him and get no return.

Technically the Dodgers could tender Martin a contract and trade him later, but they might seek a quicker resolution and more certainty.  Sometimes the non-tender threat can kill a player's trade market, but in other cases it compels a suitor to make a move before the player hits the open market.  If the Red Sox would be willing to meet Martin's salary demands and the Dodgers aren't, a deal would be mutually beneficial.  Other clubs may have interest too.  What's your take?

 

Will Russell Martin be traded today?
No 62.87% (4,691 votes)
Yes 37.13% (2,771 votes)
Total Votes: 7,462

Discussion: George Sherrill

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Dodgers reliever George Sherrill, who earned $4.5MM in 2010, might not be offered arbitration this winter.  In other news, I might not receive consideration for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize.

With all due respect to Sherrill and his past accomplishments, which include a fantastic second half of 2009 in Los Angeles, his 2010 numbers indicate that he's not worth another year at a similar rate.  However, Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times offered up a defense of the left-hander earlier this week in which he pointed out that Joe Torre often used him in the wrong situations.  Sherrill, who shines against lefties, faced 85 left-handed batters and 95 right-handed batters.  His stat line for the year was a 6.69 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9, though lefties batted just .192/.286/.288 against him.

Sherrill won't be offered arbitration but he could certainly be a solid value for the Dodgers or another club looking to take a small gamble on a strong left-handed specialist.  Dilbeck predicts a "serious pay cut" and perhaps even a minor league deal in the 33-year-old's near future.  When utilized properly, however, one has to think that Sherrill can deliver results worthy of a guaranteed deal.  The only question is, will the market force a team to offer one?

Will George Sherrill be forced to take a minor league deal this winter?
Yes 50.74% (2,723 votes)
No 49.26% (2,644 votes)
Total Votes: 5,367

Poll: Top Free Agent Catcher

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Assuming you consider Victor Martinez a part-time catcher, part-time first baseman, and part-time designated hitter, John Buck was the best free agent catcher available this offseason. He hit .281/.314/.489 with 20 homers for the Blue Jays last year, but he's since signed a hefty three-year deal with the Marlins. As always, the number of teams looking for a quality backstop far exceed the number that are actually available, but there's still a few out there.

Miguel Olivo is a lock for double-digit homers year in and year out, and the same can be said for Rod Barajas. Both have thrown out a high percentage of would-be base stealers historically. Yorvit Torrealba has a .346 OBP over the last two years, a mark just eight other catchers can top. Jason Varitek hit for a ton of power (.473 SLG) in limited action this year. Then there's A.J. Pierzynski. He's started no fewer than 124 games behind the plate in five of the last six years, and his .284 AVG since 2008 can be topped by only three other catchers.

The Dodgers, Rangers, and Padres are known to be seeking help behind the plate, and it's safe to assume that the Mariners and Red Sox will hunt for upgrades as well. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees, Rockies, Mets, or Orioles tried to improve their backup catcher situation either.

Who is the best catcher still available on the free agent market?

Click here to vote, and here to see the results. Thanks in advance.

Poll: Will Anyone Sign Manny Ramirez?

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You know a player has set lofty standards when everyone considers a .298/.409/.460 season to be a disappointment, but that's exactly what Manny Ramirez did in 2010. He hit just .261/.420/.319 in 88 plate appearances following his mid-season trade to the White Sox, and they unsurprisingly declined to offer the Type-A free agent earlier this week. MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez now wonders if this is it for one of the greatest hitters we'll ever see.

When he ranked Manny the 19th best free agent on the market (insider req'd), ESPN's Keith Law said he's "lost enough bat speed that when he squares a ball up it doesn't take off the way that it did for him before the 2009 season … The explosiveness he had at the plate well into his 30s is all but gone." Ramirez has hit 20 or fewer homers in three of the last four seasons, and his bat is no longer justifying his atrocious defense or various other antics. He also hit the disabled list three times with leg-related ailments this season.

Scott Boras recently said he's seeking a one-year, incentive-laden contract that will allow Ramirez to serve as a full-time designated hitter, but Gonzalez mentions all of the other cheap DH options on the market (Hideki Matsui, Jim Thome, Lance Berkman, Vladimir Guerrero among others) that could reasonably approximate his production. The Blue Jays seem like a logical fit, and although Manny has interest, we don't know if it's mutual.

Two or three years ago a poll question like this would have been unthinkable, but with Ramirez in obvious decline at age 38, it would not be a surprise if teams looking for a DH went in another direction. On to the poll…

Will anyone sign Manny Ramirez this offseason?

Click here to vote, and here to see the results. Thanks in advance.

Poll: Which Type B FAs Will Accept Arbitration?

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A total of 21 Type B free agents received offers of arbitration earlier in the week. They now have a few days remaining to decide whether to accept. Javier Vazquez and Trevor Hoffman have reportedly agreed to reject their teams' offers and John Buck and Joaquin Benoit have already signed deals with new teams, but that still leaves 17 players.

When voting on today's poll, keep in mind that teams won't have to forfeit draft picks to sign these Type B free agents, even though they were offered arbitration.

Which Type B free agents will accept arbitration?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

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