November 8, 2010

Yankees waste no time pursuing Cliff Lee, but they better not sign him

Surprise, surprise. The Yankees are going after the most coveted free agent pitcher this offseason on Day 1 of official negotiations.

It’s Cliff Lee. He’s widely considered to be one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball. Why wouldn’t the Yankees pursue him — especially with Andy Pettitte questionable to return?

Here’s my beef. Lee dominated the Yankees in a pivotal ALCS Game 3 this past year. If the Yankees signed him, they’d be following the strategy of, “if you can’t beat him, buy him.” Honestly, if a Red Sox fan said that to me, I’d be speechless.

Wouldn’t you be too?

Don’t get me wrong; I’d love to have Lee reunite with CC Sabathia. Talk about a 1-2 punch. But would it be worth all the scrutiny?

Posted by Lenny Neslin at 12:16 PM
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You're right.'s avatar

You're right. · 755 weeks ago

He's unnecessary to the Yankees mission of winning their 28th ring in 2011. Their reputation as the most hated franchise in all of sports would only be reaffirmed by signing Lee. Great post.
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Anon · 755 weeks ago

This may see a bit old school, but I believe there's something unseemly about buying out the people who can beat you instead of figuring out a way to beat them! On a more practical note, AJ used to burn the Yankees all the time. So we bought him. How did that work out?
1 reply · active 755 weeks ago
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Caleb Gindl · 755 weeks ago

The Yankees aren't signing Lee.
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Rob Abruzzese · 755 weeks ago

Are you saying that you don't want the Yankees to sign him based on what other people would think and the fact that he's beaten them in the playoffs?
4 replies · active 755 weeks ago
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Lenny Neslin 70p · 755 weeks ago

I think I was pretty clear in my original post, but I'll repeat:

If the Yankees signed him, they’d be following the strategy of, “if you can’t beat him, buy him.” Honestly, if a Red Sox fan said that to me, I’d be speechless.

Wouldn’t you be too?
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Rob Abruzzese · 755 weeks ago

Who cares what other people think? I wouldn't want the Yankees to run their team based on how other people would react to their moves. Make a move based on whether it is a good move or a bad move. Considering there are going to be no other starters of Lee's caliber on the market for some time after this - they should try to sign him.

It seems like a terrible idea to avoid signing Lee just because he was successful against them in the playoffs.
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Andrew · 755 weeks ago

I'm going to have to disagree with you. The Yankees are a business organization with one goal in mind: Winning the World Series. I believe that they need to do what ever means are necessary to put them in the best position possible. In this instance, signing a top 5 picture, such as Lee, would put them in a better position. Look at their starters from last year. Andy, CC and Phil were all good, but the Yankees still need 1-2 more reliable starters. Lee could be a solution for this.

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