:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48490509/452990430.0.jpg)
Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s OK, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.
* * *
Cliff Lee is a free agent, and one who hopes to pitch in 2016 after using time and rest to heal a flexor tendon tear in his elbow. He's not going to sign with just anyone, though, as, even though reportedly half of the league had contacted him about signing a month ago, he remains unsigned and will stay that way barring the "perfect fit" for the lefty. Just what constitutes a perfect fit is unknown, but you can guess that it's enough pay for a team that will give Lee a guaranteed shot, and probably also for a club that has a shot at winning in 2016.
While there is no guaranteeing Lee can be healthy or even his old self this season, the 37-year-old is in a position to dictate where he can pitch thanks to upside that no one else remaining on the free agent market has. Plus, Lee has already earned over $140 million in his 13-year career, so he's not exactly gunning for his first big pay day -- he won't miss out on much by holding out for the right landing spot.
Lee's ERA was a little higher in 2014 -- the last time he pitched -- at 3.65, but he was your usual Cliff Lee otherwise and an inflated ERA can be forgiven for a guy pitching with a busted arm. He might cost a lot in terms of a single-year payout, but he's 37 and coming off an injury: it's a short-term risk that many teams can afford to take, both financially and on their roster. We might need to wait until the spring for Lee to find that team, though, once injuries and ineffectiveness start to shape Opening Day rosters around the league.
- Legendary WWE announcer Jim Ross would relocate to Pittsburgh to call Pirates games if given the opportunity. Someone get Good Ol' JR on the line!
- The White Sox are not done yet -- or at least they shouldn't be -- as they have both large and secondary needs to figure out.
- The Yankees have Aroldis Chapman in their bullpen now, but their relievers might not be any better than they were, writes Jeff Sullivan.
- Of course, with the rotation in the state it's in, the Yankees were in a position to add to the pen just in case. They can still upgrade their starters through trade, though.
- Meg Rowley on Aroldis Chapman and opportunity cost is a must read on the subject.
- The Padres make a lot of sense as a destination for Ian Desmond, and the two sides are talking, but a deal is not close.
- The Red Sox picked up Roenis Elias, who started for the Mariners in 2015, in the Wade Miley/Carson Smith trade. Elias probably won't start for Boston, though, so what will his role be in 2016?
- It's 2016, and Mark Melancon is still on the Pirates despite their offseason-long attempt to trade MLB's saves leader from last summer.