Countdown To Spring Training: 10 Non-Roster Invitees Who Could Earn a Contract

This is about the time of year when baseball fans start getting antsy every season. 

It’s about midway between the World Series and the beginning of spring training, but this off-season has given us plenty to talk about. 

Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, and Cliff Lee’s $100 million contracts have kept us busy.

But now it’s time to start thinking about spring training, and one of the more interesting elements of spring training is non-roster invitees.

Spring training is pretty much a try out for these guys, and it’s rare to see anyone try harder than them. 

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LeeBron? Cliff Lee’s Decision Was The Right One

Isn’t it ironic that both Cliff Lee and LeBron James got their careers started in Cleveland?

Isn’t it also ironic that both men are considered to be at the top of their respective sports in terms of talent and ability, and left via free agency to join teams that have a wealth of top tier talent?

Let’s just tap the breaks on that last part for a minute.

Cliff Lee threw another one right by Major League Baseball on Monday night, as the southpaw from Arkansas agreed to terms on a contract from the Philadelphia Phillies.

The offer from the Phillies came seemingly out of nowhere, as the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers both appeared to be the leaders in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes.

As a result, Lee will now join a rotation that features the likes of Cy Young winners Roy Oswalt and Roy Halladay, as well as World Series MVP Cole Hamels and a not-too-shabby Joe Blanton. Further, Lee will backed by a lineup featuring sluggers Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, with a supporting cast that features Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez.

And we thought Bosh, Wade and James made for a formidable opponent.

But before the jilted mass of Yankee and Ranger fans begin to conjure up conspiracy theories or develop negative reasons for why Lee opted to go to Philly at the eleventh hour, perhaps it we should take a look at why Lee chose the Phillies.

Must be the money

In a sports world where egregious contracts exist—like the $250 million dollars Alex Rodriguez due to A-Rod, or the outlandish $100 million that Albert Haynesworth—its refreshing that Cliff Lee opted for less years and less dollars than the Yankees or Rangers were offering.

Throughout the entire process, Lee had said time-and-again that he was looking for a place that felt like home. Knowing that, is it too ridiculous to think he actually enjoyed his time in Philadelphia the way he did his time in Texas?

Lest we forget, Lee went to the World Series in 2009 with the Phils.

I, for one, think Lee’s decision to go to Philadelphia is a breath of fresh air in time where the lead peanut vendor is going to arbitration.

Jaxon

For those of you who don’t know, Cliff Lee’s son Jaxon was stricken with myeloid leukemia when he was four months-old. During Lee’s time in Philadelphia, Lee and his family found a hospital that they were quite comfortable with in treating their son.

Reports say that Jaxon Lee was only given about a 30 percent chance of survival, but after finding a bone marrow match and receiving treatment, that the boy is in remission and doing well.

While I’m sure there are a plethora of renowned hospitals in both the DFW and NYC areas, I’m sure it serves as great comfort to the Lee family that should they need immediate care, they are in close proximity to their preferred hospital.

Put a ring on it

This is where things could get a little LeBron-ish.

Cliff Lee has pitched in the last two Fall Classics in 2009 (Phillies) and 2010 (Rangers). Both times, however, Cliff Lee walked away as the bridesmaid. 

Given the now intimidating nature of the Phillies starting rotation, as well as a lineup that could be the envy of almost any team in baseball, Lee has an ideal opportunity to achieve his ultimate goal.

Much like LeBron James, Lee has done most everything a pitcher can do—except win a World Series or toss a no hitter. But, unlike LeBron, Lee never gave the fans of the cities he has pitched in a reason to believe that he wasn’t going to leave.

After the 2009 World Series, Lee likely had every intention of pitching in Philly the following season, but was eventually traded.

In 2010, Lee made it clear that he was going to test the free agency waters and that the ability to win would be a determining factor. If nothing else, Lee was adamant about not making promises to anyone.

Further, for a man as well traveled as Lee (four teams in three years), it was likely that he was going to have friends all over the league, and I highly doubt he colluded with any of them about where to sign a la the Miami triumvirate.

There’s no place like home

As previously stated, Lee wanted a place that felt like home after essentially becoming a hired gun; and while Lee had hoped to land in a place close to his home in Benton, AR, Philadelphia wound up feeling like a place where he could put down some roots.

Lee is a soft spoken guy, who likely would rather share the spotlight than be in it. And while Philadelphia is known for being quite critical and unforgiving, Lee felt like that was the best decision for him and his family.

Emphasis on family.

Too often in professional sports we see athletes looking to market themselves, hoping to land in places like Chicago, New York or LA in hopes to make the most money and gain as much exposure as possible.

Don’t believe me? Look no further than A-Rod or Texeira in baseball—is it any surprise they both play for the Yankees?

What about the NBA, why else would Amar’e Stoudemire walk away from a perennial winner in Phoenix? Why would Carmelo Anthony or Chris Paul be so adamant about only signing with the “doormat of the last decade” Knicks?

All Lee wants to do is pitch and win. Whether that took place in New York, D.C., Dallas or Philadelphia, that’s all the man wanted.

Will the Phillies wind up playing for the World Series in 2011? Will Lee’s back hold up for the duration his contract (Lee will be 37 when it expires)?

There are too many unknown variables for anyone to know.

But, in a world where money talks and hand shakes walk, Cliff Lee proved to be the man he said he was: a family man looking to play for a winner.

And if that isn’t consolation enough to the populations of New York and Dallas, perhaps a quote from Ranger manager Ron Washington is. . .

“That’s the way baseball go.”

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Cliff Lee Makes Phillies Prohibitive World Series Favorites, Say Sportsbooks

Cliff Lee’s signing with the Philadelphia Phillies has made his new/old team prohibitive 7/2 baseball betting favorites to win the World Series.

The New York Yankees, left at the alter by Cliff Lee, are 6/1, a notch below their divisional rivals, the Boston Red Sox at 5/1.

Lee’s other brokenhearted would-be brides the Texas Rangers are tied for the No. 4 favorites at 20/1 with the Atlanta Braves and Tampa Rays.  (Sportsbook odds from Bodog.)

Speaking of odds, tonight’s top NBA picks include a big winner from Matt Rivers for Tuesday is on the Charlotte Bobcats -5 Toronto.

Reasoning: Wow was that an unbelievably pathetic last game at home against Boston. The Bobbies were held to an insanely low 62 points in that 31-point defeat. I am not in the slightest going to try and defend that because you just can’t. But I can tell you that Michael Jordan was on the bench and the owner is not going to stand for that garbage. He will have his players focused today against what is a bad and inferior Toronto squad that should not win many games this entire season anywhere, no less on the road.

Charlotte boasts some talent, they really do. Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson and DJ Augustin form a quality trio and the 8-15 record that Charlotte currently has is not truly indicative of what the team is. These guys have a solid upside and a lot of potential but have just gotten off to a poor start. The last game very well may have been rock bottom and after that debacle there is only one way to go.

The Raptors are 9-15 and probably are a 9-15 type of a team. I really do like Andrea Bargnani as that guy is starting to become a total star but the cupboard is fairly bare after losing Chris Bosh to the Heat. Toronto is a porous 3-9 outside of Canada and should be getting more tonight against a team that is much better than them.

I expect Charlotte to come out with some passion and energy after that last beat down against the Celtics and against a bad team on their home floor should result in an easy victory. This is a cheap bargain basement type of a number and one that can’t fully be passed up.

The pick: Charlotte.

For more information: A 6-3 Matt Rivers run and just under $1 million* of profit over the past four days and about to go back over the mark today. One play in the NBA and one play only. $300,000* Orlando–Denver will take care of business and make me a winner one more time. Click now to purchase

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What Does Cliff Lee’s Return to the Philadelphia Phillies Mean?

I certainly didn’t see this coming.

There was no way that the Phillies could sign Cliff Lee.  While a lot of Phillies fans may have had it in the back of their minds as a wonderful fantasy scenario, most of us were sure that it wasn’t going to happen. 

As I’ve said before, the only team that would make a move like this is the Yankees, and the Phillies are not the Yankees.  Sure, they’ve spent a lot of money in recent years, but you kept hearing their front office talk about payroll limits and financial flexibility, which are terms you never hear  in the Bronx.

But then you wake up one morning, turn on SportsCenter to see that the Phillies have signed Cliff Lee, and you joyously realize that your team will not let money stand in the way of obtaining a player that they want.

To be fair, they did sign Lee for below market value.  He is passing up higher offers from the Yankees and the Rangers.  One rumored offer from the Yankees is said to be worth $30 million more than what the Phillies offered him.  So it isn’t like they simply outpriced the competition as the Yankees were attempting to do.

This does re-raise the question as to why the Phillies traded him in the first place.

The main reason the Phillies gave for trading him was a desire to re-stock their farm system.  On recent years, they had traded away several top prospects in various deals.  Due to this, their system was a bit depleted, and they saw trading Lee as an easy way to remedy that.

Most people didn’t fully believe this explanation, mostly because the prospects they received in exchange for Lee were underwhelming. 

The Mariners gave up pitchers Phillippe Aumont and Juan Ramirez, along with outfielder Tyson Gillies.  None of them appeared to be a can’t-miss prospect, and they all had disappointing 2010 seasons.

Since the prospect haul wasn’t overwhelming, most people figured that the deal had to be about money.  Lee would be a free agent after the 2010 season, and reports were that he was looking to get the biggest deal that he could.

The Phillies—who up until yesterday had an informal policy of never giving a pitcher a contract longer than four years—didn’t think that they’d be able to match what Lee would get on the open market.  Supposedly, they had offered Lee a hefty extension last year (although reportedly less than what he eventually received), and they were rejected.

They were then faced with the prospect of both Lee and outfielder Jayson Werth hitting freee agency after the 2010 season.  Both would be among the most coveted free agents, and both would be sure to receive large new contracts.  (And as we’ve seen, this did indeed happen.) 

The Phillies would then have holes in both their pitching rotation and lineup.  So they decided to preemptively address one of the issues by trading for Roy Halladay and dealing away Lee.  Halladay had expressed a desire to come to Philadelphia, and to prove it, he signed a contract extension for significantly less than he would have been expected to get in free agency.

After the trade, Lee expressed disappointment.  He had hoped to remain in Philadelphia and thought that there was significant progress being made towards a contract extension.  Most people believed that he did want to stay in Philadelphia, but not to the point where he’d take a below market deal similar to Halladay’s. 

As it turns out, Lee was telling the truth.  He really did want to stay in Philadelphia. 

While I’m happy about the signing, there are a few concerns with the deal.

While Lee isn’t seen as an injury risk, they are paying him a lot of money into his 30s.  Even the best conditioned pitchers can have injury problems as they get older. 

Look at the contract the Mets gave Johan Santana a few years ago.  Like Lee, he was considered one of the best pitchers in baseball and seemed like a good risk.  But he has suffered from injuries the past couple of seasons, and his contract now seems like a tremendous burden on the Mets payroll.

Of course, the fact that the Phillies have four ace-level pitchers on their staff mitigates the injury risk of each one, somewhat.  Even if Lee gets hurt, they can still rely on Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.

Signing Lee also doesn’t help the fact that the Phillies are an aging team.  Their core is all in their 30s, and some of their players are showing signs of decline.  Most people thought that the Phillies would look to get younger, not older.

On the other hand, since the team is aging, and the window for contention is supposedly closing, it makes sense to sign Lee and try to win a championship now.  As the Phillies well know, championship-caliber talent doesn’t come around that often, so you’d better try to win when you have the chance.

I’m also slightly worried that Phillies fans have mythologized Lee a bit.  His 2009 postseason was excellent, but he also was a bit shaky in September of that season.  And as the Yankees showed in the most recent World Series, he can be beaten in the postseason.  His presence alone does not guarantee a title.

So now that Lee is once again a Phillie, what have we learned?

 

1. When it comes to baseball rumors, don’t believe anything until it is official

Oftentimes, rumors are started by agents or team officials just to put pressure on the other party in negotiations.  Until you hear an official announcement, it’s almost impossible to know just what to believe.

Up until yesterday, everyone thought that Lee would sign with either the Yankees or Rangers.  The Phillies weren’t even thought of as a possibility.  And remember that nobody seemed to have any clue that Werth would sign with the Nationals, either.

 

2. Sometimes it really isn’t all about the money

Obviously Lee is not being underpaid.  He’s still going to be one of the highest paid players in baseball.  But he didn’t take the highest contract available, either.  Lee wanted to play for the Phillies, so that’s where he signed.

As the phrase goes, money talks and bulls**t walks.  Many times players say they want to stay somewhere but end up following the money.  It’s nice to see that Lee actually stuck by what he said.

He certainly didn’t seem to want to go to the Yankees, despite the money they were willing to pay him.  I’m sure the fact that Yankees fans spit on his wife during a playoff game didn’t exactly endear the New York fanbase to him.

And for whatever reason, he didn’t seem to want to stay with the Rangers, either, despite making it to the World Series with them. 

I’m sure his agent isn’t as happy as he could be.  There are rumors that his agent was the one pushing the idea that Lee wanted to be the highest-paid pitcher in baseball.  But maybe if the agent hadn’t pushed that idea, Lee never would have left Philadelphia to begin with.

 

3. It’s good to be a fan of a big market team. 

You can’t simply buy a World Series title, but having a lot of money to spend is a huge help.

Baseball teams are divided into several financial classes.  There are some small-market teams with very limited financial resources.  These teams can’t afford to pay for expensive free agents, and they expect to lose their stars once they hit free agency. 

Teams like this can only hope to contend by developing good young players and hope that they all mature around the same time.  Unfortunately for them, this is rare, and the small market teams will often go long stretches between playoff seasons. 

Even when it happens, the window for contention is limited for the poor teams.  Those young players eventually become free agents and go looking for a large contract which their team can not match.  The team must either trade them for prospects before that happens or risk losing them for nothing.

For an example, see the recent Tampa Bay Rays teams.  Their young core matured to the point where they were contenders for a few seasons, but now they are starting to lose players.  Outfielder Carl Crawford recently signed with the Red Sox, and they may have to trade pitcher Matt Garza as well.  Will the Rays still be contenders without them?  It is possible, but their chances are diminished.

On the other end of the spectrum are the rich teams.  These teams typically play in the country’s biggest markets, have stadiums that make a lot of money and have expensive television contracts.  Money is usually not an obstacle for these teams when acquiring players.

A common misconception is that the rich teams go out and simply outspend everyone else for the best free agents.  But, that is not always the case.  Oftentimes, the biggest contracts are given out by middle-class teams looking to make an impact, similar to what the Nationals did with Jayson Werth.

The biggest difference is that the rich teams can afford multiple stars as well as expensive complementary players.  A small-market team like the Twins can sign star catcher Joe Mauer to a big deal.  But as a result, they can’t really afford other expensive players to go with him.  They have to surround him with either young players or fringe free agents and hope that they overperform.

On the other hand, even though the Phillies are paying a lot of money to stars like Halladay, Lee, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley (and most teams couldn’t afford those four players alone), they can still afford higher priced supporting players like Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco.

Another advantage held by rich teams is that they can afford to make mistakes.  The Red Sox spent a fortune to acquire Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, and he has been a disappointment.  But that didn’t stop them from signing Crawford to a huge deal. 

If a smaller market team made that kind of mistake, their payroll would be crippled, and they’d probably be forced to trade some people away.  They certainly wouldn’t be able to sign yet another high priced free agent.

Ten years ago, this economic disparity bothered me greatly.  The Phillies were part of the lower-middle class, and the Yankees were coming off another championship, thanks in part to their large payroll.  It felt like the Phillies would never be serious contenders simply because they couldn’t match the financial resources of the rich teams. 

Much has changed in 10 years.  The Phillies built a new stadium, which has been a huge source of revenue for the team.  They are also experiencing an unprecedented surge in popularity.  As a result, ticket sales are maxing out, they sell a ton of merchandise, and television ratings are up—meaning they receive even more money from the broadcast rights.

Now, the Phillies are clearly part of baseball’s upper class.  They spend a lot of money and are seen as a desired destination for free agents.

Baseball’s financial system clearly has some problems.  But when dealing with an imperfect system, it’s always better to be on the good side.  I’ve seen it from both sides, and this is much better.

I’m sure fans of other teams will complain about the Phillies trying to buy a championship.  I’ve already heard a lot of “Yankees of the National League” talk.  I can understand people’s anger.  If I was a fan of the Rays or Pittsburgh Pirates, I would probably feel the same way.  If it’s any consolation, Phillies fans had to endure many years of suffering before we got to this point.

 

4. The Phillies could have re-signed Jayson Werth if they wanted to

Obviously, despite their earlier claims of maxing out their payroll, there was still money available.  And they did in fact offer Werth a sizable deal.  But they weren’t going to give him the money—and perhaps more importantly, the number of years—that the Nationals did.

Unlike Lee, Werth didn’t want to stay in Philadelphia enough to take a below-market deal, and I don’t really blame him.  Werth’s early career was derailed by injuries, and he never received a big contract.  He had already won a World Series as a complimentary player, so why not take the money and see if he can help another team win as one of the main stars?

It seems that the Phillies felt that if they were going to pay someone that much money, they’d be better off spending it on a top pitcher like Lee.  Werth has been a very good player for the Phillies, but they seem to feel the same way that I do.  The lineup is based around Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.  Werth is a very good compliment to them, but ultimately he can be replaced.

 

5. The Phillies will be good in 2011

As I said earlier, you can’t buy a World Series title.  But you can certainly put yourself in good position to win one, and that’s what the Phillies have done.

The Phillies lineup does have some questions considering how they underperformed last year.  But despite all their problems, they still managed to score the second-most runs in the National League and win 97 games.

Barring a severe decline in performance by their stars (doubtful based on everyone’s track record) or injury problems (much more likely due to past injury history and advancing age), the Phillies should make the playoffs. 

Predicting a playoff winner is much more difficult, as playoff victories seem to be more due to matchups and which team gets hot at the right time.  Still, being able to send out an ace-caliber pitcher every game will give the Phillies a huge advantage in the postseason as well.

So for Phillies fans, everything should seem great this morning.  Cliff Lee is back, and the Phillies once again look like favorites for the World Series.

 

Originally published on my blog: Stranger in a Strange Land

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Cliff Lee To The Phillies: Power Ranking MLB’s Top Rotations After Big Signing

Cliff Lee just shocked the baseball world by going back to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Texas Rangers and New York Yankees were widely thought to have been the front-runners for his services, but they’re now left in the dark after his signing.

But the Phillies now have arguably the most dominant rotation in all of Major League Baseball.

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Philadelphia Phillies Sign Cliff Lee: Where Does Philly Rotation Rank All-Time?

The Philadelphia Phillies’ starting rotation is much too good to be compared to their contemporaries. After signing Cliff Lee to a five-year contract, the Phillies have four starting hurlers as good or better than the rest of the league’s aces. We need a more historical, less comparative context in which to measure their greatness.

How good is this corps, which now features Roy Halladay, Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt? All four are among the top 20 pitchers of the past three seasons, according to Wins Above Replacement. Halladay and Lee are the two best pitchers in the game over that stretch. Their prospective dominance far out-strips that of any rotation in the past decade, so we need to go farther back.

Where do the Phillies fall all-time? How do they stack up against the best rotations ever? Who comes in atop the list? Read on for the top five starting rotations in baseball history.

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Cliff Lee and The 10 Biggest Athletes in Philadelphia Sports

Cliff Lee shocked the baseball world today by announcing that he would sign with his former team, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Lee joins an already star-studded rotation and returns to his rightful place as one of most recognizable figures in the entire city of Philadelphia.

But he’s not alone. The city is ripe with talent and has at least two franchises with serious championship aspirations. What other Philly sports stars are high in the public consciousness?

Let’s find out.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Cliff Lee Signs, Hasn’t Won World Series Yet This Year

Cliff Lee agreed with the Philadelphia Phillies Monday night, leaving many people across the country to wake up to a piece of surprising news. Since when did the Yankees not get who they wanted? And when were the Phillies ever in the conversation?

The contract is said to be a five-year deal worth $120 million, $30 million less than he could have gotten from the Yankees. In all likelihood, Lee wanted to go back to a place where he felt like he’d be at home again. 

He wanted to rekindle the magic of his 2009 World Series run.

Lots of people are going to jump to hasty conclusions and claim that Lee makes the Phillies immediate World Series favorites this year and that it won’t even be close. 

While Lee gives the Phillies an incredible rotation, don’t be so quick to anoint them champions without even playing a game. 

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Cliff Lee To the Philadelphia Phillies: A Conspiracy Two Years in the Making

Late last night, it was reported that the New York Yankees were out of the running to sign free agent pitcher Cliff Lee and that the Philadelphia Phillies were making a late push.

As I fell asleep last night, I couldn’t help but wonder about the timing of those two reports. The Yankees were out and the Phillies were suddenly in it? It could only mean one thing:

Cliff Lee was going to leave millions on the table to add his name to a rotation that already includes Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt to form the best rotation in baseball.

And so he did. He turned down an offer which, at one time, was reported at $161 million from the Yankees.

He left as much as $40 million on the table to return to the team which traded him away to the Seattle Mariners just a season ago.

Not only that. But he left two whole years on the table.

The Yankees began with a six-year offer, which they later added a $16 million player option which would have brought the deal to around $148 million, according to an unnamed source (as usual).

So instead of seven-years, $161 million, Lee chose the Phillies’ five-year, $120 million offer which came like a bolt from the blue.

Lee’s agreement with the Phillies is the third-richest contract for a pitcher in baseball, behind the Yankees’ CC Sabathia ( $161 million) and the San Francisco Giants‘ Barry Zito ($126 million).

In July 2009, the Phillies acquired Lee from the Cleveland Indians and he carried them on his back into the World Series, posting a 4-0 record and a 1.56 ERA in the playoffs.

Lee came to love Philadelphia during his time there and when the Phillies traded Lee to the Seattle Mariners last December, after acquiring Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays, Lee and his wife, Kristen were “heartbroken.”

So how did Lee repay the Phillies’ kindness?

He took a $40 million pay cut and came crawling back.

Trading Lee to Seattle enabled the Phillies to complete their trade for Halladay. Did Lee sacrifice himself to ensure the Phillies obtained Halladay, knowing he’d return once he hit free agency?

Sure, he didn’t know he’d then be traded again, this time to the Texas Rangers, but he knew he’d hit free agency at the end of the season, so whether he was traded or not before that didn’t matter.

Lee could have accepted the Yankees’ offer, like everyone expected from the beginning, and salvaged their starting rotation. He would have slid in right behind fellow lefty CC Sabathia and given the Yankees a tremendous one-two punch.

Or he could have gone back to the Texas Rangers, the second team in two seasons that Lee came to halfway through the season to lead into October. Rangers fans had held out hope for weeks that Lee might return, and were bolstered by the Rangers’ ability to hang in with the Yankees’ offers all offseason.

So after all the wondering; after all the theorizing and praying from Yankees and Rangers fans alike, the Phillies swoop in like a thief in the night with their low-ball offer and steal Lee away.

The Phillies’ GM Rubin Amaro Jr. threw the club’s handbook out the window in order to sign Lee. Previously, the Phillies never went beyond three years with any pitcher. After trading for Halladay, the Phillies signed him to a three-year, $60 million contract.

That wasn’t going to get it done with Lee, so the Phillies pulled out all the stops.

We’ll never know, and it’s probably sour grapes on my part, but was an eventual return to Philadelphia once Lee hit free agency discussed before the Phillies shipped Lee to Seattle?

Outfielder Jayson Werth, one of the fan-favorites on the Phillies, became a free agent this season, and most people expected the Phillies to make a push to resign him. They made him an offer which was considered enough to bring Werth back, but instead he bolted for Washington DC and signed a seven-year, $125 million contract with the Nationals.

Given the reports surrounding another free agent outfielder, Carl Crawford and the type of contract he was looking for, and given Werth’s agent is Scott Boras, the Phillies had to know that a contract of anything less than six-years and $100 million wasn’t going to be enough for Werth.

But they offered less than that.

Did they know Werth wouldn’t take it? Maybe.

But by making an offer they knew Boras and Werth would decline, no one could say they didn’t try to resign him and they could then direct that money towards another free agent, say, Cliff Lee.

A contract of five-years, $120 million for Werth would have raised some eyebrows, but it would have looked realistic in the face of Crawford’s seven-year, $142 million deal with the Boston Red Sox.

Instead, that $120 million sat in their back pocket until the doomsday clock reached five minutes to midnight and they swooped in to sign Cliff Lee and leave the Yankees and Rangers out in the cold.

Some said seven years on a pitcher of Cliff Lee’s age (32) was too long. Well, the Phillies got him for just five years. Some said spending $140-150 million on Lee was too much. Well, the Phillies got him for the basement price of $120 million.

Less years and less money got Lee to Philadelphia. Interesting.

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Cliff Lee Signs With The Phillies: The Fallout

For weeks, the baseball world has been waiting on the edge of their seats for the decision by Cliff Lee.  The assumption had long been that Lee would milk his free agency for every last dollar, likely spurning the Texas Rangers, who he had helped lead to their for World Series just weeks earlier, for the New York Yankees. 

The Rangers held out hope that they could sway him, not only with comparable dollars but also with the proximity to his Arkansas home.  At the end of the day, both teams have been left with a huge void at the top of their rotations.

Indeed, there was a “mystery” team in the mix as rumors indicated.  Lee apparently enjoyed his brief stay in Philadelphia so much, as well as the allure of pitching in potentially the best rotation in baseball, to spurn both the Yankees and Rangers.  The appeal was so strong that he took less guaranteed money in the process.

The Phillies likely have some creative bookkeeping in their future in order to make things work, if it is trading away Joe Blanton or Raul Ibanez or another move we have not yet heard about. 

Right now, those are worries for another day. 

Instead, Phillie fans rejoice what should have come to fruition 12 months earlier.  They have their dynamic one-two punch of Lee and Roy Halladay atop the rotation, and have added Roy Oswalt in the process to make up for their previous gaffe.  Of course, that doesn’t mention the presence of Cole Hamels to boot.

From a fantasy perspective, this does little to change Lee’s value.  Sure, the move back to the NL may aid his numbers slightly, but we all had a good idea of the performance he was going to put on.  That’s not the story for today.  The impact on the baseball world and what it does to two organizations are much more pressing.

With Andy Pettitte’s future in limbo, the Yankees are left with CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and a black hole for the final three spots.  Can A.J. Burnett rebound?  Can they really trust Ivan Nova, Sergio Mitre or some other prospect at the backend of the rotation?

The Rangers, meanwhile, have long been a team looking for pitching.  They paid a hefty price in Justin Smoak and other prospects to secure their ace for three brief months.  Were the rewards worth the premium they paid?  They put themselves in position to challenge for a World Series title, so you have to say it was, but that doesn’t bring solace to Ranger fans today.

This isn’t the end of the story.  I wouldn’t expect either team to stop their pursuit of rotation help as they were both clearly willing to pay a hefty sum for an anchor to their pitching staff.  We will hear the ludicrous (Felix Hernandez or Francisco Liriano).  We will hear the more reasonable (Matt Garza or Zack Greinke or Ricky Nolasco).  We will hear about reclamation projects (Brandon Webb).  We will hear about everything in between

Today, however, is not a happy day for Yankee or Ranger fans.  In Philadelphia, things could not look any better.  They are an aging ball club with a small window left for success.  Yes, Lee is a 32-year old pitcher with back problems.  Maybe in three or four years they will regret the contract they just handed out, but in the here and now they can rejoice.  They have positioned themselves for another run at a World Series title and put the rest of the NL on notice.

While the rest of the baseball world struggles with accepting the fallout from this stunning development, the fans in Philly are getting ready to celebrate what many will say is the inevitable.  Luckily, baseball isn’t played on paper, though that certainly is a tough idea to accept.

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s early 2011 rankings:

• Top 15 Catchers
• Top 15 First Basemen
• Top 15 Second Basemen
• Top 15 Third Basemen
• Top 15 Shortstops
• Top 20 Starting Pitchers
• 2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown

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