Hank Steinbrenner said he thinks The Bronx is the perfect address for a pitcher like Cliff Lee.
“For somebody of that stature, it would certainly behoove him to be a Yankee, which would probably be for the rest of his career,” the Yankees owner told The Associated Press on Friday. “I think that would be a great move for him, but of course I’m prejudiced.”
Steinbrenner, like everyone else associated with the Yankees, spent yesterday waiting to hear if Lee accepted the seven-year offer the Yankees made to him. The Rangers countered Thursday with their own offer, but the terms are not known.
No decision is expected from Lee for a few days, as he and his agent plow through the offers from both teams. The Yankees made Lee several offers of varying years and money, topping out at seven years and what is believed to be $161 million.
“Everything is progressing,” Steinbrenner said. “We made the offer. It’s a very good offer, and we certainly hopes he takes it. It’s all up to him and his agent. We’ll see what happens.”
The Rangers have not revealed how high they went in years or dollars, but owner Chuck Greenberg said yesterday that he believes they made a strong case when they met with Lee.
“We think that we gave Cliff and [his wife] Kristen and [agent] Darek Braunecker a lot to think about it,” Greenberg said yesterday in an interview with ESPN Radio in Dallas. “We were very pleased with the tone of the meeting. We had an opportunity to really state our case in full again why we thought we were his best option from a competitive standpoint, a lifestyle standpoint, and now with what we conveyed to them yesterday very competitive from a financial standpoint as well — especially when you factor in the enormous advantage we have because of the lack of a state income tax here in Texas.”
Some have questioned if a seven-year deal is too long for Lee, who is 32. But Steinbrenner pointed to Andy Pettitte, who went 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA this year at the age of 38.
“Looking at how well Andy pitched up until this year and so forth, and he’s a lefty, the same kind of pitcher as Andy, I don’t really see a problem,” Steinbrenner said. “I think Cliff’s the kind of guy that can get it done and be effective for a long time. He’s a great pitcher.”
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman returned from the Winter Meetings on Thursday and was in his office yesterday afternoon. He said he had no plans to travel to Arkansas again and repeated his stance from Thursday that he was neither “optimistic or pessimistic” about signing Lee.
Lee has become even more appealing to the Yankees because the Red Sox added left-handed-hitting Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez this week. The Yankees already have southpaw CC Sabathia — and Pettitte if he returns.
“Having Cliff and CC would be huge for us,” Steinbrenner said. “But it would be huge no matter whether they were lefty or righty, because they’re just that good.”
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As the Yankees waited for an answer from Lee, one of the top left-handed free-agent relievers came off the board yesterday. The Angels signed Scott Downs to a three-year, $15 million contract, according to multiple reports.
Downs was ranked by many as the best left-handed reliever available. He had a 2.64 ERA for the Blue Jays last year in 67 appearances. The Yankees need to add a left-hander to their bullpen to go along with Boone Logan.