If Lee DOES go back to Philly, I CAN'T WAIT for Kevin Goldstein and Christina Kahrl to write up a bottom-line analysis of the Lee trades from Cleve to Philly to Seattle to Texas (and FA to Philly).

Fug him. Good riddance.

Well, I can believe that Lee could choose the Phillies over the Yankees more than choosing the Rangers over the Yankees. If he goes to the Phillies, I will be crushed. The Yankees' pitchers will have career years to stand a chance at winning the World Series next year.

[3] Ha ha - get ahead of yourself much?

Lee going to Philly over NYC is a bit of a slap in the face. If it were the Rangers I wouldn't be offended; it's a real contrast to NYC and I understand the appeal for him. But Philadephia is a like a smaller, shittier NYC, plus the Phillies frigging traded him for crying out loud.

4) Just goes to show what a Herb the guy is...though pitching with Halladay and Hamels and in an easier league is nothing to sneeze at. Wait til he turns back into a pumpkim, his wife will wish she was getting spit on by Yankee fans.

LOL

I just want it over at this point.

I don't think he's coming to the Yankees, and I think that means we're in a shit ton of trouble, but I'm now bored with this.

We can only hope that if Lee goes to the Phils, he throws his back out in spring training and is unable to ever pitch again - that would be pretty damn funny and well worth all this nonsense.

Thanks for the mention, Alex!

If I were the Yankees, I would let Braunecker know that I don't appreciate being used in such a way and tell him to take a hike.

Let's move on to plan B. Sign Brandon Webb to a make-good contract, see what the White Sox might want for Danks, move Chamberlain back to the rotation.

Perhaps now the Yankees can spend the $25 million savings on Lee and use it to strengthen the outfield depth, bench, and bullpen.

[8] The only problem with that is Plan B is very scary. You can nothing by pulling the offer. Ultimately, it's cutting of your nose to spite Cliff Lee's face.

Spending $25 million on depth, bench and bullpen isn't likely to have the same impact as getting an ace. If the Yankees lose Lee, either Cashman will have to get creative, or the Yankees will need someone to really emerge.

[8] Spending 25 million dollars on marginal players seems foolish

This whole mess tonight may make Twitter explode.

If he actually takes significantly less money to go to Philly, I'd have to at least kind of respect that, because how many athletes ever do it?

I know a lot of people are getting caught up in how long Lee is taking to make his decision, but my only concern centers around the Yankees desperate need for pitching.

Just heard the breaking news - Lee signed with the Miami Heat.

[12] Next year isn't going to be pretty for NY if they don't get Lee, AND Pettitte doesn't sign. Not a lost cause, but Cash is gonna have to scramble harder than he did while rappelling down that Connecticut office building in an elf suit.

I can't even hold it against Cash if this doesn't happen, if someone can't get on board with a 95 win team offering 7 years and $150M...well shit at that point he was just never gonna come here.

Whatever, this franchise has thrown everyone from Red Ruffing to Whitey Ford to Roger Clemens to CC Sabathia onto the mound, if Cliff Lee thinks he's too good for this well then va fa Napoli pally boy.

[14] And like I said at RAB, there's no Jimmy Key out there as a plan B for when they lose out on Maddux, Bonds and Cone.

Cashman's scrambling would either be selling the farm for Greinke, trading for some completely uninspiring middle/back end pitcher like Floyd or Wandy Rodriguez, or signing some mediocre or worse free agent starters

I'm not saying the Yankees need to spend all $25 million on the free agent market, but there are still some useful players available who would help the bench and the bullpen. Bill Hall would be a good pickup as an infield and outfield backup. There are several relievers that could help, including Grant Balfour, Jon Rauch, and Brian Fuentes. They've also been talking about signing Russell Martin, who at the least is a better player than Cervelli.

With regards to starting pitching, they're probably going to have to either take a flyer on someone like Webb or Duchserer and/or give Nova a long look this spring. Just because Cliff Lee is apparently not going to cooperate, we shouldn't be ready to give up on 2011.

Lee is just not worth that contract. Joba to the rotation, to the rescue!

[17] Oh God.

[17] That would be my wish too!

joe flacco, gifted with improbable OT, is about to end my fantasy football playoffs. i had it won until houston forced OT and gave him the ball back.

great night...

mlb trade rumors says it's official. he's going to philly

yes! defensive td, the night is now only 99.9% crap and .1% good.

Lee is going to the Phillies. Yankees could not have had a worse off season.

yanks rotation is pathetic at this point, but i think they have something to trade in montero. if the guy was seriously able to catch, they would never have offered him for joakim soria.

on the bright side, we are now primed for 2015. do not mess with us in 2015.

in other news, cash just dialed andy pettitte's # and got a "this line has been disconnected"

Wowza. I'll get a post up after I walk the dog.

5 yrs/$20 mil.

huh. so much for him being the ultimate mercenary...

This is GREAT news for the Yankees. That Lee contract would have been a huge mistake, Joba and trade for Zach Grienke! The it's CC, Zach, Phil, AJ and Joba. That = pennant!

in new york the fans spit on you, in philly they vomit on you. so you can see the lee's logic...

Yeah, it looks like the Yankees should just forfeit next season. There is no possible way they can be competitive without Lee.
.
.
.
.
/sarcasm

[29] And then get swept by the phils?

I think Joba is now a disaster anywhere you put him. greinke would be good, but i don't see that happening.

[28] And so much for the old "third 'mystery team' is a fiction created by Lee's agent to drive up his price" thesis!.

[31] you're just psyched you no longer have to carry that massive i told you so in your bag for the next 6 or 7 years...

[29] Agreed. That contract promised to be a disaster.

What a total fucking disaster

[29] Or 130 games of Frankie Cervelli while I watch the new exciting singing group CC Sabathia and the question marks.

I need a drink

[34] You got me!

Seriously, though, the dude is pretty big gamble at five years, let alone six or seven years. At the same time, I am not convinced that the failure to land this one pitcher dooms the Yankees next season. Would they have been better next year with Lee? Sure, probably. But I am not convinced the Yankees are not right now one of the four best teams in the AL (i.e., they still stand an awfully good chance of making the playoffs). At least that's my view.

[37] the hard part is that they also have to be one of the top 2 in he al east. rays took a hit, but they seem like they're built to take it. red sox will be there too. long time between now and opening day, i'm sure the rotation will get better than it is tonight...

[38] Agreed. As gloomy as things look now, the Yankees can still compete with the Rays and Sox, and as you point out, two out of three of those teams will most likely make the playoffs.

andy oughtta call cash and tell him he's got one lefty from the midwest in the rotation next season...

[38] I don't have faith in anyone on that rotation other than Sabathia. And if he has a bad first six weeks, I'm not sure this team is anywhere near good enough to recover. I don't have any faith in the Yankees to not make this worse.

There's always 2013, I guess.

Last year the Javier Vazquez trade felt like coal in my stocking. This one just kind of takes the wind out of my sails. I'm trying not to be too pessimistic about next season, but that is one ugly, ugly pitching rotation that the Yankees have got right now.

[42] It's more or less the same ugly pitching staff that won the AL East last season.

[41] See [43].

[43] They would've won the AL East had the players not needed so much rest.

[42] you have the right screen name to get post #42!

i'm w/ you monkeypants - this just doesn't bother me. i'll think we'll be fine. and we'll be better in the long run w/out another monstrous contract...

It's a good day! After weeks of seeing my posts vanish when hitting Submit, I am back in the Banter just when Clifton Phifer moves to Philly. The Yankees should take the 100+ and go get Zach AND Yu Darvish next year.

cliff lee is a dickbag.

[just wanna see if the cursing sends this post to moderation...]

[48] Yo thelarmis! Looks like both our fucking posts have passed the fucking fuckfuck Wordpress censor fuck today!

Go Knicks! Go Yankees!! We should all be happy today about this news, I can't say it enough.

[48] thelarmis, your "dickbag" made it in by my post just now with many f"#$s in it is "awating moderation"...

Down with Wordpress! Up with the Yankees!

[50] fuckity fuck fuck!

[44] They lost the East last year. And now the only consistent guy on the staff is coming off surgery, and number two might be retiring.

ooh, if cursing is always gonna cause a comment to go to purgatory, it's really gonna suck... : /

[i just tried an f-bomb. didn't go thru. bollocks.]

[43] Didn't they come in second, despite the Rays' best attempts to hand them the division?

Like I said, I'm trying not to be too pessimistic, realizing that perspective is what sets us apart from the Sox fans. I'm just having trouble with that in the heat of the moment (and thinking about running Mitre out to the mound every 5 days). I'm sure it'll pass.

[50] Number two only pitched half a season anyway.

Got the post up. It woulda been sooner but I had to find the right picture of Mr. Bill.

this philly rotation is great, but the braves lost a lot of postseason series with as good or better.

[51] Wait, really? Fuck! (... Just a test).

[52] Yeah, they came in second. My main point is that the rotation right now is really no different from last season. Pettitte only started about 20 games, so it's not like they didn't have to cope with long stretches without him. On the bright side, they lose Javier Vazquez. Of course, on they do seem committed to the Sergio Mitre Experience, which does boggle the mind.

Sergio Mitre might just be...the Luckiest™ Man in the World.

[54] Is that supposed to be encouraging?

In what world is Sabathia-christ, I don't know, Hughes?-Burnett-Nova-Mitre going to win you a world title?

Maybe they can make me real happy and bring Fat Joba back to the rotation before we start with innings limits again. That was a blast.

The Yankees are built to hit their way to the postseason. I'd be more concerned with the offense than the pitching. The one year they didn't, 2008, they missed the playoffs. The Yanks, as always, will find someone to start the games in 2011, as they have when the pitching staffs imploded for one reason or another from 2004 on.

I'm not sure this offense, everyone a year older is good enough to drag this staff over the finish line

[58] There have been teams that have won with worse pitching. Teams with Cliff Lee are 1-3 in the World Series appearances, so having Lee on the team guarantees nothing.

You still have to make the playoffs.

[62] The Yanks made the playoffs last year.

The Red Sox imploded. Perhaps literally. I haven't seen that injury list in a while. Someone may have imploded.

[64] You saw it with the Yankees in 2006 and 2008.