St. Louis Cardinals Hot Stove: The bargain basement of free agents

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Apr 26, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cliff Lee (33) pitches in the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Cliff Lee

But what if we don’t want stability? What if we want an ace, but don’t want to pay for an ace? Well, how about Cliff Lee? Between 2008 and 2013, Lee averaged about 6.2 fWAR, which is definitely ace territory. He was pitching well in 2014 before he injured a tendon in his left arm and went down indefinitely. So, can he pitch? Who knows! Does he still want to pitch? Who knows! It’s really hard to guess, and at 37, Cliff Lee may choose to walk away from the game. But if he doesn’t and instead decides to try to start again, would you take a flyer on him? I think it would be hard to pass up.

Projected Cost: Minor League Contract w/ Spring Training invite-$5M/1 year + incentives to $10M

Next: Aubrey Huff

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