Possible Good News For Next Year

[love_that_reefer]

Two years ago, C.C. Sabathia's wife Amber was said to prefer the Giants. Yankees GM Brian Cashman was able to pitch the couple on New York and close the deal on a seven-year, $161MM contract. He may have a tougher task with Cliff Lee's wife Kristen, who did not have a good time at Yankee Stadium during the playoffs. From USA Today's Bob Nightengale:

Perhaps the Rangers' greatest sales pitch simply was having Kristen sit in the visiting family section at Yankee Stadium during the playoffs. She says there were ugly taunts. Obscenities. Cups of beer thrown. Even fans spitting from the section above. "The fans did not do good things in my heart," Kristen says. "When people are staring at you, and saying horrible things, it's hard not to take it personal."

It's impossible to say how Kristen Lee's experience will factor into the lefty's decision. As Nightengale notes, Sabathia and A.J. Burnett (and perhaps their wives) are ready to recruit Lee this offseason. Plus, it's unlikely Yankees fans would taunt their own star pitcher's wife.

The Yankees' main selling point, of course, will have to be money and contract years. The Rangers have all the intangibles in their favor, especially the team's World Series appearance and proximity to the Lee family's Little Rock, Arkansas home. We've seen players leave millions on the table before, though the Rangers plan to be aggressive in the bidding.

I honestly do expect the Rangers to win the Cliff Lee sweepstakes this offseason as I think Nolan Ryan has a lot of clout and has played a huge part in turning this team around. That front office has put them in a position to be competitive for years with or without Lee and I think that appeals to him. As the article points out, Sabathia's wife got over things quickly but I can see Lee being different and after pitching against the Yankees the past two postseasons and pitching well, he might want to keep pitching against them. Regardless, this news probably drained what little color Cashman has in his face.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

I always knew the Rangers would be a tough one to compete with. But wtf are our fans thinking? This is ridiculous. Sometimes Yankees fans piss me off the most. I honestly hope the Yankees do an investigation, find out who was sitting around her, and ban all of them for life.

[Kingdom]

Stay classy New York.

One can only hope this dampens their chances at Lee. But I'll believe it when he signs with any other team or resigns with Texas. /fingerscrossed.

[realmofotalk]

That's messed up, but I say she'll get over it. If anything, the Yankees will just award Cliff Lee millions more for his wife's emotional distress on top of his fat new contract.

[ljshorty89]

I just can't comprehend how dumb a move this was. Like, if you're any kind of Yankee fan...you know this woman is married to a guy who's a DAMN GOOD pitcher, and who may want to come to play for you next year. Why would you give her any reason to change his mind?

[love_that_reefer]

Some more good news for the Rangers:

Darren Rovell of CNBC.com writes that state taxes could play a role in where Cliff Lee lands this winter.
Lee is the most coveted pitcher on the free agent market, though many expect the bidding to come down to the Rangers and Yankees. While Texas has no state income tax, they do have something called a "Jock Tax." Assuming Lee signs a five-year, $120 million contract to stay with the Rangers, he would have to pay approximately $2.25 million over the length of the deal. If he went to New York, he would potentially have to pay somewhere around $11-15 million in New York City and state taxes. The Yankees would likely have to pay more to give Lee the same bang for the buck as a potential deal from the Rangers, but this doesn't come as much of a surprise. Something to keep in mind, anyway.

I'd say the Rangers have the advantage right now after being the defending AL champs and what is in bold above.

[jmbinfo]

The Ticket here in Dallas had some positive things to say this morning about the Rangers winning the Cliff Lee sweepstakes. Keeping my fingers crossed. As a life long Rangers Fan, this year was amazing.

[love_that_reefer]

Awesome, I'll check it out. Welcome to the site!!