"Last year it was CC Sabathia that set the market for free agent pitchers by landing a staggering deal with the New York Yankees worth $161 million. John Lackey might be "CC Lite" in this year's free agent sweepstakes, so his demands should be more modest. But by how much? Bill Shaikin of the LA Times says Lackey is believed to have set the Yankees deal with A.J. Burnett -- five years, $82.5 million -- as a starting point for his negotiations. That could be an issue since Shaikin said Angels owner Arte Moreno might not consider any free agent asking for more than three years. An MLB.com report says Lackey's potential price tag has scared away teams that could have been viewed as suitors. Dodgers president Dennis Mannion told the LA Times that his team was most likely out of the running for Lackey (ESPN)."
So it works out to be about $16.5 million a year. To me this really isn't all that bad. Lackey can get up serious innings, and if a team like the Red Sox got him he wouldn't have to be the "ace". I think Lackey is worth that money, and with the way pitcher have been treated over the past couple of year I kinda expect that price to rise. The good news is that the Angels are probably out of the running, so it will be interesting to see who will actually make an offer.
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