Phillies wanted Cliff Lee 'far away from fan base consciousness'--Sherman

Joel Sherman says Yankees tried hard to get Cliff Lee:

• "But by the end, the Yanks also came to believe the Phillies would rather put Lee as far from their fan base’s consciousness as possible, and
• Seattle fit that criteria."...

And, one can only hope:

• Joel Sherman: "Plus, more and more Yankee officials have come to believe Joba’s long-term role is in the pen and as heir apparent to Rivera. So the early betting line should be that Hughes is the No. 5 starter, though the Yanks will certainly not hand the job to anyone and could have a group including Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin, Alfredo Aceves and
• Ivan Nova in contention, too. My darkhorse is Nova, a growing favorite within the Yankee hierarchy.

And I am probably the last reporter in New York who actually thinks it is possible Chien-Ming Wang could return. That is, as long as Wang accepts a minor league contract with incentives. I do not think it is a strong chance. But I do not think it is impossible."...

• from "Joel Sherman's Hardball" blog, "Ten thoughts on the Vazquez trade," 12/22/09

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