Cliff Lee Signs With the Philadelphia Phillies: A Bad Decision for Both Sides

Now, even Brett Favre can breathe again with free-agent ace Cliff Lee finally making a decision to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Favre is on a growing list of fans, athletes, sportscasters, beat writers, my doorman and pretty much anyone who reads the NY Post who were annoyed with Lee’s decision making of where he is bringing his talents, basically until his 40th birthday party.

Lee had a serious offer of $160-plus million for seven years on the table from the New York Yankees.

He also has about five different contracts proposals from the Texas Rangers, who went over and above, in attempts to compete with the Yankees resources.

Days passed with no “decision,” so it made perfect sense that another team is in hot pursuit and one that Lee deemed worth the wait.

The Philadelphia Phillies is that team, but Lee just makes no sense for such a heavily loaded ballclub as Philadelphia.

Philly traded Lee’s talents without a hitch last season to attain Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays. Later, the franchise added Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt to the rotation of Halladay and Cole Hamels.

Halladay has a three-year contract worth $60 million, with a fourth year option but a lot of stats have to be fulfilled for that to happen.

Oswalt is slated to make $16 million in 2011, but his contract is up if the Phillies want it to be. Oswalt does have an option for 2012 at $17 million.

Both Halladay and Oswalt turned 33 years old in 2010, so adding another 32-year-old arm at $20-plus million doesn’t make much sense.

Why?

1. Lee wants years and two offers already on the table are for seven seasons. If Philly didn’t sign Halladay for more than three years, why would they sign a less durable, injury-prone pitcher to more?

2. Outfielder Jayson Werth took his talents to the Washington Nationals a week ago, leaving Philly with a huge gap to fill in their lineup. Werth was clutch for Philly, especially in the last three years and his absence won’t go unnoticed. Philly’s priority should have been re-signing Werth.

3. Another option for Philly would be to go after closer Raphael Soriano. Brad Lidge has proved unreliable for long stretches and it cost the team. Soriano is way better and any team who has him finish games is significantly better. Lidge could setup for Soriano, making a lethal one-two in the eighth and ninth innings.

4. Philly also gave a monster contract of $125 million for five years to 1B Ryan Howard, a year before his current one expires at the end of 2011. This made no sense to me then, and it still doesn’t now. No offense to Howard, as he is a great player, but why not wait till his contract runs out or at least re-sign him in that the same season? It just hog ties money when situations considering can change so quickly.

Looks Lee wants to go to Philly, so my sincerest congratulations.

It’s so hard for me to understand how Lee doesn’t remember how quickly the Phillies said goodbye the first time? It would piss most people off, and Lee is supposedly going to take less to go back to the first team he lost the World Series with.

Nor is Lee a good option for the Phillies to over-spend at a position they already flourish in.

Why does this situation feel all too familiar to me?

Oh right….I am a New York Yankees fan, so over-paying for a handful players age 31 and over is what we used to do.

Good luck to Cliff Lee and thanks once again for using the Yankees to get where you want, but getting what you want (a World Series) will entail beating New York first.

Hey, at least the spending recklessly is catching on around baseball; the difference is the Yankees can afford it.

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