Hank Steinbrenner: It 'Behooves' Cliff Lee to Be a Yankee

Filed under: Rangers, Yankees, MLB Hot Stove, MLB Free Agency

NEW YORK (AP) -- Hank Steinbrenner looks to Andy Pettitte when evaluating the risk of offering a seven-year contract to Cliff Lee.

The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers are waiting for a decision from the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner, who is evaluating offers made by both teams before making a decision on where to sign.

"For somebody of that stature, it would certainly behoove him to be a Yankee, which would probably be for the rest of his career," Steinbrenner, the Yankees' co-chairman, said during a telephone interview Friday with The Associated Press. "I think that would be a great move for him but, of course I'm prejudiced."

New York offered a six-year deal to the 32-year-old left-hander on Wednesday worth $137.5 million to $140 million, then increased it to seven years the following day after Boston reached a $142 million, seven-year deal with All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford.

Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/12/10/hank-steinbrenner-not-sweating-seven-year-deal-for-cliff-lee/

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