Cliff Lee Signs With the Philadelphia Phillies

Sorry Yankee fans.  Sorry Ranger fans.  And sorry fans of any team in the National League not located in Philadelphia.  Cliff Lee is back.

Lee shocked the baseball world by turning down the Yankees and Rangers– the two teams with the most rumored interest- to return to Philadelphia, the team that traded him last offseason.  The deal is believed to be worth $100 million over five seasons.  The Yankees had previously offered $150 million over seven seasons.

Lee, 32 years old and coming off a season that saw him split time in the AL West between Texas and Seattle, ended the season with a 12-9 record, 3.18 ERA, and an unheard of 185:18 K:BB ratio while battling injuries.  While Lee helped lead Texas to the World Series, he uncharacteristically struggled against a weak San Francisco Giants offense, going 0-2, 11.1 IP, 14, H, 9 ER, 13 K, 1 BB, 1 HR.  

A native of Arkansas, many believed Texas was the perfect place for Lee, as it allowed him to be close to home while pitching in front of a great offense in a fairly easy division.  

But Lee often lamented the trade to Seattle from Philadelphia, and the chance to join a rotation already featuring NL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels was too much to pass up.  The Phillies, who made the World Series back-to-back years before falling to the Giants in the NLCS this season are now the clear-cut favorites to again make it out of the NL.  

Michael Perchick is the writer/editor of TheJockosphere, a sports/Twitter site, reporting the top tweets and news directly from athletes. Follow him on Twitter @TheREALPerchick and at http://thejockosphere.com/.

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