Two of the best Yankees beat-writers in the business, Peter Abraham and Jim Baumbach, are both reporting the latest rumors and ramblings on Ted Lilly.
Now that Jason Schmidt is about to take three years and $47 million from the Dodgers, Theodore Roosevelt Lilly could be the next free-agent starter to fall.
The Blue Jays have offered Lilly $40 million for four years. The Yankees could certainly absorb $10 million a year into their payroll but Brian Cashman would prefer to stay from long-term deals.
Lilly's agent, Larry O'Brien, is working hard at the meetings and has been a quote machine. But is Lilly using the Yankees to get more money out of another team? Might Cashman be using Lilly to bring Andy Pettitte to the table? I believe the Yankees are focused on Pettitte. Schmidt's deal will only add to that.
Just bumped into Ted Lilly's agent, Larry O'Brien, in the lobby. He said he just informed the Blue Jays they are out of the running. "It's down to the Cubs and the Yankees," O'Brien said. And now we're going to see whether the Yankees' interest in Lilly is for real. O'Brien said he is planning to meet with Brian Cashman before 6 p.m.
Personally, I really hope this whole thing is just a charade in order to put pressure on Pettitte because I don't want to see Lilly in pinstripes again.
Unlike the last few years, Cashman seems to have learned from past mistakes and doesn't want to grossly overpay for marginal pitching talent this off-season, so I really don't think it's going to happen.
Then again, what do I know, I didn't think they would make such a ridiculous bid on Kei Igawa either.