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Cliff Lee

Odds & Ends: Jones, Mets, Yankees, Guerrero, Greinke

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A few more links for Wednesday night…

Yankees Rumors: Upton, Lee, Soriano, Jeter

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post dishes out the latest Yankees buzz in a series of articles…

  • Sherman notes that Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has knowledge of the Yankees farm system after working for the team last year, which makes a Justin Upton match intriguing.  However, Sherman feels that the Yankees would get involved most likely if Cliff Lee signs elsewhere and they look to trade an outfielder for a starter.  Teams have inquired on Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, and Brett Gardner, notes Sherman.
  • Executives Sherman spoke to continue to express the opinion that the Yankees will land Lee.
  • The Yanks are also working hard to find a setup man, calling on about a dozen free agents including Pedro Feliciano.  They've checked in on Rafael Soriano "as a fallback position in the incredibly small likelihood that Mariano Rivera does not re-sign."  Sherman says to forget the idea of Soriano signing as Rivera's setup man and closer-in-waiting.  Neither side is interested in that scenario.
  • Sherman analyzes the Derek Jeter situation, which he feels could become "one of the most interesting games of contract chicken in history."  The main sticking point seems to be the number of years.

Rangers Met With Cliff Lee Yesterday

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Rangers executives Chuck Greenberg, Nolan Ryan, and Jon Daniels flew to Little Rock, Arkansas yesterday and met with free agent lefty Cliff Lee for about two hours, reports Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Yankees GM Brian Cashman made the same trip by himself on Wednesday of last week.

Last we heard, Lee's agent Darek Braunecker was leaning against making the trip to Orlando for the GM Meetings.  Braunecker told ESPN's Andrew Marchand "there has been significant interest from a multitude of teams," and he doesn't feel it's necessary for Lee to visit various cities.

Odds & Ends: Sandberg, D’Backs, Lee, Huff

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Here are today's links as we await the Rookie of the Year announcements…

  • I'll be in Orlando covering the GM Meetings this week. Follow @mlbtrorlando on Twitter for the latest news, quotes and observations from Florida.
  • The Phillies have hired Ryne Sandberg to manage their Triple-A affiliate nearly 29 years after they traded the future Hall of Famer to the Cubs. Sandberg played 15 seasons in Chicago and nearly won the Cubs managerial job this winter. 
  • MLB.com's Todd Zolecki takes us back to 1982, when the Phillies sent Sandberg to the Cubs.
  • The Orioles signed former Cubs pitcher Mitch Atkins to a minor league deal, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The 25-year-old has solid minor league numbers and a 5.25 ERA in 12 big league innings.
  • The D'Backs announced that Rico Brogna, who was appointed director of player development last month, resigned and will be replaced by Mike Bell.
  • Arizona also announced the hiring of Billy Ryan as assistant GM. He will work on arbitration cases and draft bonus recommendations.
  • Cliff Lee’s agent is one person who can skip the GM meetings altogether. “We're not going to have to go there to drum up interest," Darek Braunecker told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
  • Tyler Kepner of the New York times explains that every team is looking for the next Aubrey Huff.

Rangers Pursuing Lee, V-Mart; Can Spend Big

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The Rangers have enough spending power to add Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Texas is pursuing both free agents and has approval from ownership to boost payroll above $90MM. 

The Rangers opened the 2010 season with a $55MM payroll, but new ownership, a new TV deal, better attendance and a World Series appearance have put the team in a position to spend. The former Indians teammates are among the most highly coveted free agents available; seven to eight teams have shown interest in Lee and Martinez has drawn interest from at least six teams, including the Red Sox and Tigers. 

Yankees Interested In Jorge De La Rosa

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Cliff Lee isn't the only free agent left-hander who's drawing interest from the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers have expressed interest in Jorge de la Rosa, according to Mark Feinsand and Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. GM Brian Cashman did not confirm the club’s interest in De La Rosa, but he did acknowledge that he has made “a lot of phone calls” to free agents.

Cashman told Feinsand that he is impressed with Lee's demeanor and postseason experience, but has not yet made the left-hander an offer. Lee and De La Rosa are both Type A free agents, so signing either player will cost a top pick, assuming both receive offers of arbitration from their former clubs.

New York Rumors: Beltran, Lee, Jeter, Santos

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Rangers officials have told friends that they expect the Yankees to offer Cliff Lee so many years that other teams will have to back off, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. But team president Nolan Ryan is expected to push aggressively for Lee's return, so it's far too early to rule Texas out. Here's the latest on the Yankees and the Mets:

  • Carlos Beltran says he'd prefer to play center field, but is open to playing right, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo (on Twitter). Beltran also told reporters he would consider waiving his no-trade clause.
  • Sherman predicts the Yankees will sign Lee to a five-year $125MM deal. The imagined contract would pay Lee $23MM for five seasons with a sixth year option for $25MM ($10MM buyout).
  • The Yankees say they're extremely unlikely to pursue a free agent catcher, since they want to give their young catching a real chance to emerge in 2011 as Jorge Posada transitions to DH.
  • Mark Simon of ESPNNewYork.com looks back at some recent contracts to prove that locking up pitchers to long-term deals is risky.
  • The Yankees don't want to surrender a draft pick to sign a Type A free agent like Scott Downs, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff (on Twitter).
  • It's unlikely that the Yankees will agree to a deal with Derek Jeter next week, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • There's been a lot of Moneyball talk about the Mets front office, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports believes Sandy Alderson, J.P. Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta are not about ideology. "This is about picking the right players and all of the different ways it can be done."
  • Alderson interviewed Clint Hurdle and Don Wakamatsu at Citi Field yesterday, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.  Next up, the GM will interview Mets Triple-A manager Ken Oberkfell in the Dominican Republic.
  • Omir Santos and Mike Hessman are free agents after refusing minor league assignments, according to Rubin (on Twitter).

Angels Target Crawford, Prepare To Spend

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The Angels have made Carl Crawford their primary free agent target and are prepared to spend $100MM or more on him, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. The Halos will also monitor the market for Cliff Lee, but they don’t expect to become finalists for the left-hander.

Torii Hunter, who speaks to Crawford regularly, predicts the Red Sox and Angels will be finalists for the left fielder’s services. Hunter expects Angels owner Arte Moreno to visit Crawford in person and he hopes the trip is a success. “We need Carl Crawford," Hunter said. "Put it like that."

Heyman On Cliff Lee, Mets, Penny

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SI's Jon Heyman dishes the latest on the hot stove…

  • Heyman provides reasons why he sees the Yankees as the favorite to sign Cliff Lee: their revenue, rotation question marks, and lack of a backup plan chief among them.  He also talked to Lee's agent Darek Braunecker about the story about Lee's wife being harassed by Yankees fans at a game.  Braunecker said, "That story was blown out of proportion.  It's not like she's hypersensitive. She's been with him in Philadelphia and all over, been with him from the get-go. It really was that one time, just a couple clowns…probably intoxicated. I don't know if that will have any bearing on (the decision)."
  • Heyman predicts destinations for 15 of the top free agents; nothing crazy.
  • Padres GM Jed Hoyer draws praise for being upfront about not being able to sign Adrian Gonzalez.
  • New Mets GM Sandy Alderson will be paid close to $3MM, while Paul DePodesta will get close to $1MM.  With J.P. Ricciardi, Wayne Krivsky, and Omar Minaya also on the ledger, Heyman figures this is baseball's most expensive front office.
  • Heyman feels that the Mets "would likely avoid" allowing Francisco Rodriguez to finish 55 games in 2011, which would trigger his $17.5MM option for '12.  He also notes that the Mets "will wait to see Jose Reyes play a large chunk of this coming season before getting serious about a long-term deal."  That approach might work, but from Reyes' point of view if he's having a great year and is months away from free agency he might as well go to the open market.
  • It's a little early for "best shape of his life" reports, but that's the word on free agent righty Brad Penny.  The 32-year-old was limited to nine starts this year due to a lat muscle injury.

Mike Rizzo Comments On Cliff Lee

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Nationals GM Mike Rizzo was asked about the Cliff Lee possibility on MLB Network/Sirius XM Radio today with Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy.  Rizzo's full comments:

Well, Jim, I'd be a fool if I didn't like Cliff Lee or want Cliff Lee on our club.  He's the prize pitching guy in this year's free agent market.  But again, I'm certainly not going to delude myself to the fact that we have a great chance of landing Cliff Lee.  He's going to have enough takers and enough competition for us to pick and choose whatever ballclub he wants to go to.  Suffice it to say that I love Cliff Lee, I'd love to have him on our club.  He is a No. 1 starter in the Major Leagues. 

We have contacted his agent and begun discussions with him, but I'm certainly not going to put all my eggs in the Cliff Lee basket because I think the chances of Cliff wanting to come to the Washington Nationals at this time in our franchise is small.

The Yankees and Rangers are considered the favorites for Lee; Yanks GM Brian Cashman is having a meet-and-greet with Lee in Arkansas today.  The Nationals are one other club with both the need and the money for the lefty, however.  Would Lee turn down the Nationals' offer if it's the highest?  That happened with Mark Teixeira two years ago, but the Nats may be closer to contending now.

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