It is officially hot stove season and, courtesy of MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, we officially have one of our first ridiculous hot stove items.
In September, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo expressed a desire to pick up a front-end starter this offseason. Then on Thursday ESPN.com’s Rob Neyer wrote that the Nats are “a potential sleeper in the competition to land” free agent left-hander Cliff Lee.
Now comes the good part. Or the juicy part. Or whatever you want to call it. Ladson heard from a baseball source this weekend that Lee is open to offers from the Nationals and “will listen to what Washington has to say.” Shocking, right?
It should come as no surprise that Lee, this offseason’s marquee free agent, is going to listen to what any and every MLB team “has to say.” Of course he’s going to leave himself “open” to their offers. He’s a free agent -- free to sign with any club -- and he is going to be seeking out the richest contract possible.
The Rangers and Yankees are believed to be the front-runners for his services and both clubs have the resources to get the job done. Most national media members believe that the southpaw will wind up in pinstripes, but if the Nationals want to drive up his price, more power to ‘em. The Pirates might as well throw in a bid too. And is that the Royals on Line 2?