The Yankees Meet with Cliff Lee in Arkansas

The New York Yankees are reportedly meeting with Cliff Lee, his agent, and family in Arkansas today to kick off the free agency period and persuade the free agent to sign with the team.

Darek Braunecker, Lee's agent, is reportedly going to ask for seven years, $161 million -- the same amount former teammate C.C. Sabathia received in 2008. Sabathia is good friends with Lee and has apparently already sold Lee on the prospects of living in New York.

At present time, it's not clear if Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is going to offer a contract or if it's a "meet and greet." The general consensus is that Lee will make a decision on his future early next month at the Winter Meetings.

The Yankees tried to trade for Lee in July, but the trade broke down. They were going to give up top prospect Jesus Montero, and the Lee family was making plans of where they would live in New York before it disintegrated.

Free agency has become a monopoly of sorts for the Yankees in the past few years as they've signed Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. In methods completely unlike a cap in the NBA and NFL, the MLB is allowing the Yankees to eliminate small-market teams from signing any big players, as well as outbidding just about every other team out there.