Should The New York Yankees Target Cliff Lee?

The New York Yankees and Cliff Lee have been linked several times over the past few years, but could 2016 finally bring together the two sides? Lee stated that he will attempt to return to the Major Leagues in 2016, but only if the team is the “perfect fit”.

His agent has stated that the fit has to be perfect “from a competitive standpoint, [and] from a financial standpoint”. The Yankees could be a fit from both standpoints, as they could offer Lee a deal he might consider, and figure to be competitive in 2016, but will Lee be worth the offer he is seeking?

Although the Yankees should bring in a left-handed pitcher, as their only southpaw, CC Sabathia, will begin training camp with plenty questions surrounding him, Lee is not the answer. Lee has questions of his own, as he hasn’t pitched since July 31, 2014. Lee would be a good pick-up if the deal wasn’t guaranteed, or built around incentives, but otherwise the Yankees should avoid bringing in the 2008 American League Cy Young.

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The Yankees rotation is filled with uncertainty, but adding Lee just brings more uncertainty. If the Yankees are going to hand out a contract to a free-agent pitcher, it would make more sense to add somebody who doesn’t come with concerns about his ability to stay on the field.

With the Yankees looking to add young, controllable talent, the 37-year-old Lee simply doesn’t seem to be a match at this stage of his career. While there have been plenty times in the past where Lee nearly ended up as a Yankee, adding him at this late stage of his career would be unwise, and I don’t expect Brian Cashman to get involved. Lee chose to take a smaller deal to join the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010, and I believe that was his last real chance to join the Yankees.

While I’m aware that Lee was a good pitcher the last time he was on a Major League mound, the problem is that it was so long ago, and it’s hard to see him duplicate those results after nearly two years of being sidelined. If the Yankees had a rotation that wasn’t filled with questions marks, then Lee might be exactly the pitcher to bring in, someone who is talented, but has been hurt, on an incentive-based deal to prove he can bounce back. Unfortunately for the Yankees, the team has six starters, and each presents a large set of question marks. Adding a seventh does nothing to change that.

What do you think Yankees fans? Should the Yankees seriously target Cliff Lee? Let us know in the comments below.

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