Yankees add additional year to Lee offer
New York in holding pattern until left-hander makes decision
Multiple sources reported Thursday that the Yankees departed the Winter Meetings having improved upon their six-year, $140 million proposal to Lee, who is the team's unquestioned top winter priority.
New York general manager Brian Cashman would not discuss the financial terms of the team's offer to Lee, but he said that his other business has essentially halted while he waits to hear back from the pitcher.
"I know what we're willing to do," Cashman said. "The player and his agent know what we're willing to do. We know, they know. That's all that matters. They have the information necessary to put themselves in the position to make a good decision."
Cashman made his first offer to Darek Braunecker on Wednesday, as the agent checked out of the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort to deliver that deal to Lee in Arkansas.
The Rangers and the Nationals have also expressed serious interest in Lee, but with the Yankees adding a seventh year, it could be enough to clinch the bidding war.
Texas would love to keep the left-hander in its uniform after he helped to pitch the Rangers to the World Series, but they have been wrestling with extending their offer to six years. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has also confirmed that he made an offer to Lee.
But the Yankees may be pulling away. With the seventh year intact, Lee's proposed deal could exceed the biggest deal given to a pitcher -- the seven-year, $161 million pact CC Sabathia signed with New York before the 2009 season.
"No one knows what our offer is other than the player and the agent," Cashman said. "All I can tell you is we've communicated how strongly we feel about the player, but I wouldn't define that publicly."
The Yankees' increased bid came mere hours after the Red Sox landed free-agent outfielder Carl Crawford with a seven-year, $142 million deal. Cashman entertained Crawford over dinner on Tuesday, but New York's interest was cursory at best, viewing him as a Plan B in case the Lee deal didn't work out.
"We never made an offer," Cashman said. "I've reached out to everybody and anybody, but it's not a need for us. We have [Brett] Gardner, we have [Curtis] Granderson, we have [Nick] Swisher. I have a certain amount of money I can spend. I'm going to be aggressive on areas of need, not areas that aren't of need."
Nothing that transpired between Boston and Crawford changed the Yankees' position on Lee, Cashman said.
"Our desire is the same today as it was," Cashman said. "I don't think you can increase it any more. We have a significant interest in Cliff Lee, and we've communicated that. They know it and they're in a position to make some decisions as they collect the information on their end."
Cashman said that he did not have a sense of when Lee and Braunecker might reach out with a response.
"Whenever they make a decision," Cashman said. "I'll just wait to hear from him."
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