Yanks would pursue Crawford if they can't sign Lee

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Yankees remain the strong favorites to sign Cliff Lee, adding the free-agent market's best pitcher to their starting rotation.

Yet if the Rangers decide to blow up their financial model to retain Lee, and the Yankees bow out, Brian Cashman has a Plan B. That's why they've been in touch with the representative for free-agent outfielder Carl Crawford.

And if that sequence of events occurs, then the Yankees would shift a chief recruiter from one mission to the next. CC Sabathia is so close with Lee, from their days as teammates with the Cleveland Indians, that the pitchers' wives and children are extremely friendly. But Sabathia also has a strong relationship with Crawford.

The Angels, Red Sox and Tigers appear likely suitors for Crawford, who will leave the Tampa Bay Rays after spending the first nine years of his major-league career there.

The push to acquire Crawford might come as much from the Steinbrenner brothers as from general manager Brian Cashman, who has professed happiness with his current outfield of Brett Gardner in leftfield, Curtis Granderson in center and Nick Swisher in right. If Lee goes to the Rangers, then Cashman could look to use one of his present outfielders as a chip in a trade for a starting pitcher.

It's possible such a trade might not emerge, however; the most obvious such target, Kansas City's Zack Greinke, doesn't want to play in New York.

But if a deal came to fruition, then the Yankees also could check in on free-agent outfielder Jayson Werth. A deal for Arizona's Justin Upton wouldn't seem to make sense, yet the likelihood of the Diamondbacks trading their talented rightfielder appear to be increasing, and the Yankees like to at least take part in every such pursuit.

Crawford, 29, is a "speed and defense" guy with a .337 career on-base percentage, although he has elevated that to .364 and .356 the past two seasons. Friends of his believe he's most likely to wind up with the Angels, who appear to be very interested.

Though here at the general managers' and owners' meetings, Cashman departed Wednesday morning for New York to continue the Yankees' search for a new pitching coach.

Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner attended some sessions before returning to Tampa, and team president Randy Levine also flew from New York.

Regarding talks with Derek Jeter, Levine said: "He's a baseball player. It's a player negotiation. Everything he is and who he is gets factored in. This isn't a licensing deal or a commercial rights deal. He's a baseball player. With that said, you can't take away who he is. He brings a lot to the organization, and we bring a lot to him."

Everyone in the industry expects the Yankees and Jeter to find common ground. The intrigue lies in where that common ground will be.