Updated at 4:50 p.m.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- How serious are the Nationals about attempting to lure Cliff Lee to D.C.? Enough to meet in person with the pitcher's agent for the second time this week at the Winter Meetings.
General manager Mike Rizzo met with agent Darek Braunecker this afternoon at the Swan and Dolphin Resort, according to major-league sources familiar with the meeting.
Rizzo, while confirming his strong interest in acquiring Lee, doesn't sound particular confident he'll actually land the prized left-hander.
"I still think we're a real long shot to acquire the player," he said.
It's not known if the Nationals have made a formal offer yet for Lee, who is seeking a mammoth contract that could reach seven years. The Nationals, according to multiple club sources, are adamant that they won't make a seven-year offer to the 32-year-old Lee.
The Nationals, though, haven't disguised their legitimate interest in Lee, far and away the top pitcher on the market. And they've shown a willingness in the past to outbid other clubs for top-tier free agents, including Mark Teixeira, Jayson Werth and Jorge de la Rosa.
Merely outbidding the Yankees, Rangers and others who are in the running for Lee doesn't guarantee a deal. Lee, who has pitched in the World Series each of the last two years, still would have to decide whether to spurn clubs with more immediate hope of winning than a Washington team that hasn't posted a winning season since the franchise arrived in town in 2005.
46 comments:
Roll the dice, Uncle Teddy, roll the dice. C'mon, you can raise rents at Reston Town Center to cover the cost of this deal. Lucky seven, Uncle Teddy, lucky seven. Oh, wait. Would someone please bring the smelling salts for Uncle Teddy. He's just read the fine print on the Jayson Werth deal.
If Uncle Teddy owns parts of Reston that is CIA. He is bankrolled by the Intelligence community. They're rolling in dough.
You can always subcontract Mike Rizzo as a part-time consultant to them. Seems like they could use the help.
Source: 3 year/$21 million deal to bring Woodrow Wilson to Nats Presidents Race. Rizzo shopping Thomas Jefferson to Pirates, Brewers.
I think the Yanks actually have some limitation this year as they also really want Crawford. Nats will outbid everyone again. Big question, does Lee buy into the Nats as the second coming of the Braves in the 90's...
Also, sign Laroche too and let the Yanks get Crawford and trade for the then expendable Brett Gardner for cf/leadoff. Better yet, package Willingham, Clippard, Desmond for Jacoby Ellsbury.
"Source: 3 year/$21 million deal to bring Woodrow Wilson to Nats Presidents Race. Rizzo shopping Thomas Jefferson to Pirates, Brewers."
I heard that Lerner was actually trying to land Millard Filmore, but doesn't want to go seven years, which is what Filmore's agent is looking for.
Lerner's also not gonna go for Franklin Roosevelt either. A 16 year contract is just too long, expecially since he's hiding an injury and probably won't last more than about 12 years.
Lastings Milledge was non-tendered....maybe he's "matured?"
I think Harry S. Truman would be da bomb. There could be a close race between him and Teddy and the scoreboard would read "Teddy defeats Truman," but then a review of the photo finish would reveal that Truman actually won.
Jacoby Ellsbury? Faggeddaboutit. They are going to need him if Cameron falters and Cameron hasn't really set the world on fire. Do you really think they would trade him for Willingham?
William Henry Harrison's agent said he would sign a short term contract.
I also think we can trade Teddy to Milwaukee for a tastee Kielbasa but please don't trade for the hot dog for reason that need to go unsaid.
McKinley is available. But Rizzo has to act quickly. Very quickly. My sources say he's ill.
The effete Jefferson would never be able to compete with Teddy, George, and Abe. They should waive him and sign Old Hickory. Jackson might've been the toughest Prez ever. Not much opposite-field power, sadly.
If you're gonna upgrade the President's Race, you can't go with Wilson, who had a stroke, or FDR, who covers his injuries. Fast forward to the seventies and pick up Ford on the cheap in Rule 5 draft this week, as he was unprotected by Detroit. He falls down, Teddy wins, which attracts national attention, the obvious Chevy Chase tie-in, then you flip him midseason to Arizona, who will need to be upgrading their "Legends" Race soon.
I'm glad we're talking to Lee but don't expect we will get him. But salaries have a ratchet effect, just as real estate prices exhibit. If what you really want to do is trade for Greinke, you want Lee ro get a huge deal, so that KC is more inclined to trade him. Plus a hyge Lee contract somewhat takes the Yankees out of the Greinke sweepstakes. There is no doubt in my mind that the Yankees and their fans covet Lee so much that they have little choice but to sign him now. Ditto for Crawford.
Can we sign LBJ to a minor league deal? Just in case we need to make any mid-season call-ups?
McKinley was assigned to Buffalo, in the minor leagues. That's the last we'll see of him.
I did see Garfield at the National Art Gallery. Odd though. He looked as if he was waiting for a train.
Mark Lerner has blogged that Harold Stassen keeps calling him, day and night, for about a week now, wanting to be in the President's race.
As a high school history teacher, I just want to thank the board for expanding my supply of lame jokes to throw into the middle of class over the next few weeks. The kids won't get any of them, but that's kind of the point...
If we're going to go after Ford, as DC Tom suggests, we probably need to DFA Agnew by the way...
Why don't they just have a fire sale and start rebuilding with some younger talent - Reagan, Clinton, Obama, and one of the Bushes.
Charles Evans Hughes, Samuel Tilden, and Tom Dewey (not to mention Al Gore) were all prospects. Maybe we could pick them up cheap?
I thought Dewey was a can't miss. At least that's what the Chicago Tribune beat guy sez.
FDR in a motorized wheelchair will win every time.
Bring Clinton to the track, Monica could distract him, that way maybe Teddy could WIN!!!
Just don't sign James Buchanan because soon there will be seven different National states
I love love love you all. This is a thread only Washington fans would develop.
@Anon 4:06pm: Willingham, Clippard AND Desmond for Jacoby Ellsbury? That's just crazy talk, it's WAY too much for Ellsbury. Hammer, Clip and a AA prospect, maybe. Don't move Desmond unless you can get a TOR pitcher in the deal.
And the Yankees won't sign Crawford unless they lose out on Lee, and possibly not even then. They get a lot of production out of their outfield right now, for very little money invested. If Lee signs elsewhere then they might push for Crawford and then include Gardner in a package for Greinke. But now? It makes no sense.
John C.
Ernie, Baltimore has had a backdoor "handshake" deal with Agnew for years.
Ford is the only cheap, post-greenies era President, since he was never elected. If you want to go cheap on the Race, you can't go modern. You need to go dough-face, go Gilded Age, or go home.
As long as we don't have to look at Obama wearing his White Sox hat while throwing out the first pitch on opening day, I will be a happy camper.
I think we are limiting ourselves as a franchise by just looking state-side. Although I think I would draw the line at 5 years, I hear that Fidel Castro is a good-field no-hit infielder. Perhaps he could serve an upgrade for our bench, though he might be a destructive clubhouse presence given Livan and Yunesky.
Buchanan can do the split-squad games.
Castro is no-hit, huh? Sure.
Good point Dan, although we were nominating people for the President's Race rather than the bench. Still, how about Kim Jong-il? I hear he's transitioning out of his current job, and if he's half as good at baseball as he is at golf, we'd have a real find. I hear he has a cannon for an arm.
According to the following source, Castro did not almost become a Washington Senator ( http://infinitecardset.blogspot.com/2010/03/21-fidel-castro.html ). I had earlier heard he had been scouted professionally before the Cuban Revolution.
God this was a boring post. Of course, I'm Canadian.
Where were the Nats when the Blue Jays were giving away Marcum?
I hope we sign Grover Cleveland. Twice.
"I hope we sign Grover Cleveland. Twice."
Wasn't that Ronald Reagan in the movie version?
How about JFK?
Also, why don't we replace that stupid cat that messes up the President's Race with someone more edgy, like John Wilkes Booth or Lee Harvey Oswald?
Didn't the Nationals do that deal already? Oh, that was Livo... nevermind.
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N. Cognito said...
I hope we sign Grover Cleveland. Twice.
Just got back from the Dolphin Hotel. Apparently this blog has gone off the track!
OK, here's your outside-of-the-box Race for the Ages: Kennedy, Castro, Lincoln, and Jefferson Davis. There is a punchline here invovling Havanna and Richmond, but I ain't goin' there.
fpcsteve
Maybe we just need to cross-post this entire string over to "Let Teddy Win"; Clearly, the natives have been into the eggnog already.
Nope. It's Samuel Adams, and it's good. No ID this time.
NatsJack in Florida said...
"Just got back from the Dolphin Hotel. Apparently this blog has gone off the track!"
You mean you're not staying there? You cheap bas...HEY...you're Ted Lerner!
I think they should make a play for Jimmy Carter. They should be able to get him for peanuts. Plus he'll do a good job of spreading the gospel of Natstown to other free agents.
How about William Henry Harrison and James Madison in a leapfrog relay?
anyone who think Lee will sign with anyone but Texas is crazy
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