1) The salary the Rangers could offer after taxes could EQUAL what the Yankees could offer. Why? No Texas state income tax, and as such Lee won't end up paying a fortune in New York state and New York City local income taxes.
2) The Rangers are a team full of mostly young players with a few good veterans, unlike the Yankees with its older players.
3) The Rangers' management is headed by Nolan Ryan, a LEGEND of Texas baseball if there ever was one. Cliff Lee would highly respect what Ryan has done.
Salary is one thing but the endorsement $$$$$$$ a guy like Lee could make playing in New York as a Yankee, totally blows away anything he could get in Texas. That is a big reason many players go to major market teams and you don’t get any bigger market than NY City. I don’t know what Lee will do but from a business (total $$$$$) perspective, going to the Yankees is almost a no-brainer
Correct, regarding why Lee may stay with the Rangers.
Also, he’s an Oklahoma guy and that’s just up the road apiece; plus, he likes to hunt and he can do a lot of that in OK and here in Texas. There’s also the fact that the cost of living (including property and housing prices) is so much lower here in Texas than in the NY area.