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Cliff Lee

Cashman Meeting With Cliff Lee In Arkansas

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The latest on the Yankees…

Seven To Eight Teams Show Interest In Cliff Lee

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1:55pm: The Astros may make a run at Lee, in the opinion of SI's Jon Heyman (Twitter link).  He names the Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, and Phillies as other surprising suitors.

11:40am: Seven to eight teams have already shown interest in free agent lefty Cliff Lee, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  He says the Yankees and Rangers are still the favorites, but the Phillies, Dodgers, and others have checked in.

As Rosenthal notes, it's questionable as to whether the Phillies or Dodgers could come up with the money for Lee.  He's expected to sign for significantly more than $100MM.  I imagine the Nationals checked in as well; they do have the money and are known to be interested.  While the Red Sox and Angels appear poised to spend their money on position players, we won't count them out until they say so.  At any rate, I'm excited to use the Mystery Team category here at MLBTR for the first time this offseason.

Odds & Ends: Lee, Blue Jays, Mets, Hampton

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Here are the rest of the day's links on the 11th anniversary of the Shawn Green–Raul Mondesi trade…

  • Darek Braunecker, the agent for Cliff Lee, told the AP (on CBS Sports) that his client is “clearly the best player on the free-agent market.” Hard to argue with that one.
  • If the A's reach a deal with Japanese righty Hisashi Iwakuma, they'll have a surplus of arms and a number of suitors for them, so Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea wouldn't be surprised if Oakland flips a starter for some offense this offseason. 
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson will interview DeMarlo Hale, Clint Hurdle and Don Wakamatsu for the team's managerial opening according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter).
  • Andy Martino of the New York Daily News hears that the Mets will also consider internal candidates Tim Teufel and Ken Oberkfell.
  • The Blue Jays announced that Wakamatsu will serve as the team's bench coach assuming the Mets don't hire him to be their next manager. Joining Wakamatsu on John Farrell's staff: former AL Cy Young Award winner Pat Hentgen.
  • Derrek Lee, who had surgery on a ligament in his right thumb, told Yahoo's Tim Brown that he'd like to sign with a team that has a good chance of reaching the playoffs.
  • The Pirates agreed to a minor league deal with left-handed reliever Justin Thomas, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
  • Mike Hampton, who pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings with Arizona last year, wants to pitch again and is drawing interest, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

Reds Rumors: Cairo, Hernandez, Rhodes, Arroyo

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Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he doesn’t expect to sign a big name free agent this winter. Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee will likely be playing elsewhere next year, though the Reds will boost payroll in 2011.

“I’m always trying to do something, but [signing a top free agent] would be pretty tough,” Jocketty said.

The Reds have had preliminary talks with the agents for Miguel Cairo, Ramon Hernandez and Arthur Rhodes, but Jocketty says he hasn’t yet exchanged potential salaries. The Reds have not spoken to Bronson Arroyo about an extension since picking up his option last week and they are not currently discussing long-term deals with Joey Votto or Jay Bruce.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote yesterday that he expected the Reds to complete a two-year extension with Arroyo this week. Jocketty has said he'd like to reach a deal before the 2011 season begins, but the potential contract may not become a priority until later this offseason.

Yankees Contact Cliff Lee’s Agent

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As expected, the Yankees moved quickly to contract the representation for Cliff Lee, according to an AP report (via ESPN). A baseball official says that the Yankees told Lee's agent, Darek Braunecker, that they will be back in touch later with a contract offer for the left-hander.

The Yankees have long coveted Lee, and are considered one of the front-runners to land the 32-year-old. The Rangers and Nationals are among the other clubs hoping to lock up the prize of the pitching market this winter.

Cliff Lee Will Listen To Nationals’ Pitch

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This winter's battle for Cliff Lee's services is widely viewed as a two-team race between the Yankees and Rangers, but those aren't the only clubs with a strong interest in the left-hander. MLB.com's Bill Ladson says the Nationals, who are hoping to land a front-line starting pitcher this offseason, will receive an audience with Lee.

Washington is a team Lee "has to learn more about," according to Ladson's source, so it's possible the Nationals could become a dark horse candidate to sign Lee after the 32-year-old hears what they have to say. Still, as Ladson notes, the Nats may be more inclined to trade for a starter rather than signing one of the top free agent arms. Here's what GM Mike Rizzo said in September when he discussed the team's desire for a top starter:

"We need a front-of-the-rotation guy to put everybody in their proper place in the rotation. That's the number one priority going into the offseason. We definitely have depth – prospect wise – to pull off a deal for a pitcher."

For a primer on the starting pitching available this winter besides Lee, check out our posts on the free agent market for righties and lefties, and the trade market for righties and lefties.

New York Notes: Lee, Backman, Garland, Balfour

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Let's check out the latest rumblings out of the Big Apple….

  • Like Bill Madden of the New York Daily News did yesterday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post examines the Yankees' backup plan if they're unable to land Cliff Lee.
  • When Sherman polled eight executives about Lee's destination, six predicted the left-hander would end up in a Yankees uniform – the Rangers got the other two votes. One AL exec's thoughts: "Lee is all about the money. His agent is all about the money. And the Yanks have the most money."
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link) expects the Red Sox to get involved in the Lee sweepstakes, perhaps in an attempt to drive the price up for the Yankees.
  • Wally Backman told Peter Botte of the New York Daily News that his three-hour interview with Sandy Alderson for the Mets' managerial opening "went very well."
  • Dan Martin of the New York Post names Jon Garland and Grant Balfour as a couple possible free agent targets for the Mets.
  • A pair of Star-Ledger writers, Marc Carig and Andy McCullough, preview the offseason for the Yankees and Mets respectively.

Odds & Ends: Werth, A’s, Yankees, Berkman, D’Backs

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A few more Saturday night links….

Poll: First Big Name Free Agent To Sign

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The free agent market officially opens for business at 12:01am ET tonight, so the hot stove is about to kick into full gear. Big name free agents like Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford figure to receive massive contract offers from several teams, and chances are it'll take them a few weeks to decide on their next team. Adrian Beltre and Jayson Werth will enjoy the same experience.

On the eve of free agency, it's only natural to wonder which big domino will be the first to fall. Time for the poll…

Which big name free agent will be the first to sign?

Click here to vote, and here to see the results. 

Olney’s Latest: Gonzalez, Lee, Crawford, Jeter

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Two days ago we learned that Padres GM Jed Hoyer is willing to listen to trade offers for Adrian Gonzalez (and Heath Bell), unsurprising since the first baseman is reportedly seeking close to $22MM annually when he becomes a free agent next offseason. In today's blog post (Insider req'd), ESPN's Buster Olney lists a few reasons why the Pads are more likely to wait until the trade deadline to move their franchise player…

  • Ticket sales. After surprising success in 2010, the team doesn't want to lose the trust of the fans by dealing their best player before the season.
  • The Padres have a chance to compete in 2011 with Gonzalez in the middle of their lineup, but without him it'll be close to impossible.
  • Other clubs wanting to acquire Gonzalez might be more desperate during the summer, which could result in a better package for San Diego.
  • Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe points out that Hoyer and assistant GM Jason McLeod worked for the Red Sox before joining the Padres, so they have strong first-hand knowledge of Boston's prospects.

Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

  • Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, and Jayson Werth will dominate the headlines when free agency begins at 12:01am ET Sunday morning, but Olney lists ten more interesting free agents, led by Joaquin Benoit, Pedro Feliciano, and Orlando Hudson.
  • The Yankees could place their first bid on Lee very soon, perhaps within 72 hours. Anthony McCarron of The New York Daily News hears something similar.
  • Crawford is in a unique situation because he's an elite player that could have six or more teams bidding for his services. Usually players of that caliber only have three or so teams after them.
  • The Yankees operate with the knowledge that no matter how popular the individual player is, the team and its fan base will move on. This of course refers to Derek Jeter.
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