By Matt Snyder
The Yankees can use some starting pitching and seeing as how left-handers fare well in that ballpark, it seemed natural that they'd be interested in free agent lefty C.J. Wilson. Along with Mark Buehrle, he forms the top two left-handers on the market, after all. And we know the Yankees aren't shy about paying top dollar to lure free agents to the Bronx. Only this time, they aren't willing to do so.
Wilson's agent requested a meeting with the Yankees and has been shot down (ESPN New York). CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler noted that the Yankees consider Wilson's asking price too high, thus, a meeting wouldn't accomplish much.
We know the Angels and Marlins are interested in Wilson, but otherwise there hasn't seemed to be near as much interest as was initially expected. Maybe the lackluster postseason performance really did scare teams away. Then again, Wilson reportedly asked the Angels for $100 million (Jon Heyman), so it makes sense the asking price is driving potential suitors away.
Wilson, 30, was 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 206 strikeouts in 223 1/3 innings during the 2011 regular season, making his first All-Star team. He's only been a starter at the big-league level for two years.
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