Cliff Lee: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

In the end, Cliff Lee proved he wasn’t about money. Instead, he went where the rings are likely to be: Philly.

Late Monday night, Lee agreed in principle to a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies that will span five years at a $100 million dollars, as opposed to offers from both the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers that would have provided Lee with more money and years, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick confirmed.

As it stands, Lee will join a rotation that features Cy Young winner Roy Halladay, as well as former Cy Young brethren Roy Oswalt and World Series MVP Cole Hamels.

Perhaps now, the only trio to rival that of the Phillies is that of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants, who feature Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner.

The move to Philly likely catches all of baseball off guard, as most experts and journalists had the 32 year-old lefty getting fitted for pinstripes since the final out of the World Series.

In the end, though, it came down to what felt right for Lee, who had essentially been a hired-gun since departing from Cleveland two years ago. Both Lee and his wife felt that Philly was the right place to be, and given the current state of the ball club, its should really come as no surprise.

Baseball fans will have to wait and see how the Lee deal turns out—Lee does have a history of back problems—but as it stands, isn’t it tough to not pencil in the 2010-11 Phillies as the No. 1 contender?

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Philadelphia Phillies Sign Cliff Lee and Fix Mistakes of the 2009 Offseason

Nearly one year ago, the Philadelphia Phillies ownership and general manager Ruben Amaro were making tough decisions regarding the future of their team and superstar pitcher Cliff Lee, whom they had acquired from the Cleveland Indians.  

Despite some unbelievable performances against the New York Yankees in the 2009 World Series, the Phillies decided to turn the page by trading Lee to the Seattle Mariners and acquiring superstar ace Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Facing the anger of their fans, Phillies management seemed to immediately regret their decision, going so far as to trade for another star pitcher, Roy Oswalt. Like Lee, Oswalt succeeded with the Phillies, and certainly was not the cause for their disappointing defeat to the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS.

Their defeat was blamed on their hitting, which could not come through in the clutch. 

Entering the offseason, it could be argued the major concern for the Phillies was improving their offense, especially when outfielder Jayson Werth signed a lucrative deal with the Washington Nationals. 

Meanwhile, the entire baseball world watched as the Texas Rangers and Yankees fought for Lee’s services offering contracts of upwards of $160 million dollars.

What people were not watching however, was that the Phillies were preparing to pull one of the bigger swerves in recent sports memory. As the news continues to leak, it appears the Phillies brass was lurking in the shadows, plotting a surprise attack on both the Rangers and Yankees.

And boy did they succeed!

With the world believing it was a two team race, the Phillies shocked everyone and signed Lee to a five year, $120 million contract. 

What’s interesting is the contract is for only five years when many baseball analysts believed that Lee wanted seven. It’s a bit of a gamble for Lee if he struggles; however, if he keeps the form he’s shown the past several years, he’ll still be young enough where he could land one more major deal in 2016. 

The signing will create shock waves in the American League not only for 2011, but potentially for years to come. It’s been an awful past few months for the Yankees, who lost to the Rangers in the ALCS and now failed to sign not only Lee, but also Carl Crawford, who signed with their bitter rival the Red Sox.

It would seem that a major shift of power has occurred in the AL East as the Yankees were seemingly beaten at their own game. 

But this story isn’t about the Yankees. It’s about the fact that the Phillies have made good on fixing the mammoth mistake they made last year, by trading away Lee in the first place.

It’s really amazing to think how last season could have played out if Lee had never left Philadelphia. The Phillies would have had possibly the two best pitchers in baseball, but Roy Oswalt would be on another team and the Rangers almost certainly would not have played in the World Series. 

While Philly fans may be upset they lost to the Giants in the NLCS, they now can salivate at the prospects of 2011.

The Phillies have possibly the best pitching rotation this league has seen in decades with Lee, Halladay, Oswalt and Cole Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP. Add to the fact they did acquire three prospects when they traded Lee to Seattle last year and $six million in cash from Toronto, the Phillies have to be enjoying life.

With the signing of Lee, the Phillies have made the 2011 season perhaps very boring in the national league. 

No team has a pitching staff that comes remotely close to the new arsenal the Phillies will be deploying. Of course, it’s pretty hard to find any team that has literally an entire All-Star team in their starting rotation.

There will be some fans who will be worried that the team may want to deal Oswalt and save some money, as they will have over $60 million tied up to just three pitchers. Not even the Yankees can claim that.

Some others will talk about the fact that they have not addressed the absence of Werth, considering their offense was the reason they did not go to the World Series for a third straight year.

But for the vast majority of fans, while they might wake up to 20 degree windy weather and flurries this morning, they may very well believe that the title of a popular FX television show is true. 

It indeed is always sunny in Philadelphia. 

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Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies Agree to Deal: Greatest Rotation Ever?

If you thought Carl Crawford to the Red Sox was stunning, listen to this: Cliff Lee is returning to Philadelphia.

The news comes as a jaw-dropping conclusion to the Cliff Lee saga, slamming the door on months of widely accepted speculation that the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers were the only two realistic landing spots for the former Cy Young winner.

The deal is reportedly for five-years and $120 million—one year and $18 million less than the six-year, $138 million deal (with a player option for a seventh year) offered by Texas, and two years and $30 million less than the seven-year, $150 million deal reportedly offered by New York. 

Clearly, Lee’s decision was not about the money, as he left tens of millions of dollars on the table by returning to the team he led to the 2009 World Series.

Lee’s five-year deal establishes some much-needed stability for a man who’s played for four different teams over the past two years. Originally acquired by Philadelphia at the 2009 trading deadline, Lee carried the Fightin’ Phils to the pennant, going 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA down the stretch, and then topping that with one of the greatest postseason performances in Major League history, going 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA with two complete games.

Following Philadelphia’s loss to New York in the Fall Classic, and after failing to sign Lee to a contract extension, Phillies’ GM Ruben Amaro Jr. shipped the lefty to Seattle in a three-team mega-deal that brought 2010 Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay to Philly (it all seems worth it now, doesn’t it?).

One of the lone stars on a struggling Mariners team, Lee was traded again on July 9 to the Texas Rangers—only after a deal to send Lee to the Yankees fell through at the last minute.

Lee promptly led his new club to the pennant for the second year in a row while putting together another masterful postseason performance, going 3-0 while sporting an ERA under one in the ALDS and ALCS en route to the Rangers’ first pennant in franchise history.

Although he did struggle in the World Series—losing both starts to the Giants while garnering a 6.94 ERA—Lee is deservedly credited as one of the best postseason pitchers of all-time for his efforts in the past two Octobers.

Lee will now join an already formidable Philadelphia rotation, which already features Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, to create what is the most dominant rotation in recent baseball history—with the potential to be one of the best in baseball history.

If all four pitchers continue pitching to their recent standards, it will surely rival the pitching staffs of the mid-’90s Atlanta Braves, early-’70s Baltimore Orioles and mid-’60s Los Angeles Dodgers.

Look out, Major League Baseball—pitching wins championships, and the Philadelphia Phillies look primed for success for years to come.

 

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Cliff Lee Signs With Phillies Instead Of Yankees and Rangers

The Phillies have signed Cliff Lee to a five-year deal worth $100 million.  Lee took significantly less money from the Phillies than what the Yankees, Phillies and Nationals offered him. 

The Yankees’ offer was the highest, and was $60 million more than what Lee agreed to with Philadelphia.  This signing has gigantic ramifications on the entire league.

By signing with Philadelphia, Lee reunites with his teammates from his 2008 pennant run.  He also helps form possibly the greatest rotation ever assembled with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.  This rotation is so absurdly deep that it makes the Miami Heat’s maneuvering look like child’s play.  The Phillies rotation, along with their potent offense, makes them the absolute No. 1 contender to win the World Series in 2011.  

The Texas Rangers lost out on their ace that made them legitimate contenders in 2010.  It’s a major setback that will force them to trade for the likes of Zack Greinke, Matt Garza and Francisco Liriano.  They need at least one of these pitchers to contend next year.

The biggest losers in the wake of the Lee signing are the New York Yankees.  Yankees GM Brian Cashman’s wait-and-see approach failed him this season as it worked in 2008.  He dropped the ball on Carl Crawford, allowing him to go to the Red Sox, their arch-rival. 

Losing out on Lee puts a substantial amount of egg on Yankees’ faces.  They too must look to trade for the aforementioned pitchers, and somehow convince Andy Pettitte to return.

With Lee singing with the Phillies, the 2011 baseball season is officially over before it ever begins.  This rotation spells doomsday for any opposition in a short or long series, and will also dominate the regular season. 

If these four starters can remain healthy the entire year, the 1998 Yankees record of 125 wins seems like an afterthought for the Phillies, along with a World Series title.  Armageddon begins for Major League Baseball on April Fool’s Day, when the Four Horseman (Lee, Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt) ride.

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Cliff Lee’s Return to Philadelphia: Why It Makes Sense

Around 4 pm EST today, I noticed a tweet from Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman that there was a third team in the Cliff Lee Sweepstakes.

“Word is offer much lower than NYY’s, but it’s also a place Lee loves,” Tweeth Heyman.

Right then and there I knew the Phillies were still in the running. 

Who else could it realistically have been?

Lee was upset when he was traded to the Mariners for three prospects, disappointed that he was not given the opportunity to pitch with Roy Halladay for a winning team.

With Lee back in the fold, that winning should continue.

The Phillies starting rotation featured three premiere pitchers and Lee won’t be a shabby fourth. 

By all accounts, Lee loved his time in Philadelphia and clearly, he must feel a bond with his former teammates, Charlie Manuel, Citizens Bank Park, the city, cheese steaks or something.

After all, the Phillies simply didn’t approach the dollars the Yankees were willing to pay—reported by Buster Olney at six years, $138 million with a player option for a seventh year at $16 million. 

That’s a total of $154,000,000 guaranteed dollars.

And get this: Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reported the Rangers actually put $161 million on the table over seven years, though the seventh year was based on a vesting option. 

Lee turned that down, too.

Early reports have the deal with the Phillies at around $115 million over five years with a vesting option for a sixth year.

He’s certainly not going to be hurting for cash anytime soon, but for a guy everyone assumed would chase the almighty dollar to wherever that took him, the news was shocking.

But let’s look at a few reasons why it makes sense, if not $en$e:

• Lee, in joining the Phillies, could help form arguably the greatest starting pitching rotation of all time. Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee alongside Kyle Kendrick, Vance Worley or even a right-handed throwing Jamie Moyer will simply be dominant as long as they stay healthy.

• This is a good team. They’ve continued to show that they will do anything possible to continue to be a good team. While it’s not difficult to second guess several moves made by GM Ruben Amaro, the organization has proven it will spend money and make deals to make an impact now (unless of course, they are busy trading Lee, which of course, is done with an eye on the future). If I were a Major Leaguer (and I’m not… yet), that would appeal to me.

• I never read a story about Phillies fans harassing Cliff Lee’s wife.

Cliff Lee is a straight shooter. I expect we’ll hear all about why he chose the Phillies over any other team pursuing him. 

I also can’t imagine Lee coming to Philadelphia for any reason other than the opportunity to form one of the greatest rotations of all time.

The Phillies laid the groundwork for this signing last year. When Amaro traded for and extended Roy Halladay and then flipped Lee for prospects, we should have known he’d be back.

It would have saved quite a bit of angst.

And I’m guessing Lee’s agent, Darek Braunecker, negotiated a no-trade clause into this contract so we won’t have to go through this again.

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Cliff Lee To Sign With the Phillies and Ruin Baseball

First off, let me start by giving you some details about the imminent Cliff Lee signing by the Philadelphia Phillies. The contract is believed to be a 5 year deal worth $100 million with a player option for a sixth year. Not only is this a mammoth contract for Cliff Lee, but this is a huge move by the Phillies to try and get back to the world series in the near future.

Almost no one could have predicted this, while the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers were dueling back and forth to see who could throw the most money at Cliff Lee and win the Philadelphia Phillies swoop in and steal Lee away quietly. This helps strengthen an already very strong starting rotation for the Phillies which already features two all-star caliber pitchers in Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt. With the addition of Lee, the Phillies now quite possibly have the best 3 man rotation in the majors.

Now while most Yankee & Ranger fans are struggling to grasp the fact that the Phillies just stole their would be ace in the rotation, I am trying to calm myself down and deal with the fact that baseball is getting tarnished before my own eyes.

I am an Atlanta Braves fan, so most of you must understand how I feel about the Phillies once again stealing the Braves thunder. Earlier this off-season, the Braves were quick in filling one of their needs which was the need for another power hitter. They accomplished this task by acquiring second baseman Dan Uggla from their fellow NL East foe, the Florida Marlins for infielder Omar Infante and reliever Michael Dunn. This put the Braves in a nice position to once again contend for the NL East title with the Phillies and possibly go deep into the playoffs.

For those of you who don’t know who owns the Braves, a corporation named Liberty Media owns the Braves and own parts of Time Warner, Sirius XM Radio, and Viacom. Needless to say, Liberty Media has enough money to afford the Braves. However, Liberty Media is not like most MLB franchise owners in that they do not give the Braves and infinite amount of money to spend to field the best possible team like the Yankees and Phillies are now doing.

I am sorry if I am preaching to the wrong crowd here, but does anyone else see a problem here? Is it right that the Phillies and Yankees are able to spend all the money they want to lure away the top free agents and trade for expensive players year after year so that they can beat up on the teams who simply “can’t afford” a Cliff Lee or C.C. Sabathia? All I am saying here is that I’m suggesting their needs to be some type of rule or (as a last result) a salary cap to make free agency and trades fair game for all teams.

I know most people will say that it isn’t the commissioner’s fault that this is happening, but something needs to be done to try and balance out situations like this because teams (such as the Braves) who have payroll restrictions are getting jobbed. Believe me, I’m all for having an organization go out and try to field the best team possible and I don’t blame the Phillies for making this move because it’s a smart move. But, this is a perfect example of how some teams just can’t afford some players and it results in lopsided rosters in baseball.

Now I’m not saying that this alone is ruining baseball, but I feel like if nothing is done soon, then some teams may never be able to crawl out of the cellar until they go under new ownership.

Please leave your comments below, I’m interested to see what opinions people may have regarding payroll restrictions.

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Philadephia Phillies Sign Cliff Lee, Leave Yankees and Rangers Stunned

In a late night move, the Philadelphia Phillies steal away Cliff Lee, the most prized pitcher in this year’s crop of free agents. In a signing that feels like it is out of a heist movie, I’m half expecting Daniel Ocean to be behind this one.

It comes at a relative bargain for the Phillies. The Yankees had been rumored to have offered Lee over $160 million over seven seasons. The Phillies reportedly have signed Lee for five years, and a $100 million dollars, with a vesting option for a sixth year. 

Cliff Lee was a member of the 2009 Phillies, and nearly pitched them to a second consecutive World Series title. The Phillies ended up losing in six games to the Yankees that year.

The Phillies traded for Roy Halladay last offseason. Lee was then traded to Seattle in the offseason that year, in a move that still puzzles many.

Lee seemed upset after being traded from a contender, to a team that is years away from contending in Seattle.

Philly fans better make sure Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t around, because the Phillies dream rotation seems like a scene out of Inception. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels would all be No. 1 starters on most teams in MLB. Yet one of them will be pitching fourth for the Phillies.

The Yankees and Rangers are the big losers in the Lee decision.

The Yankees and Rangers may now turn their attention to possibly acquiring Zack Greinke from the Kansas City Royals. But the price may have just gone up for the 27-year-old former AL Cy Young winner.

The Yankees had already fallen behind the Red Sox, and had hinged their offseason hopes on acquiring Cliff Lee.

The Rangers were attempting to compete with the big market Yankees, but fell short of the mark. They have more options as far as minor league options to possibly make a move for Greinke.

The first and biggest shoe has now fallen for free agent pitchers, and look for the remaining pitchers to start signing soon.

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Cliff Lee Signing Makes Philadelphia Phillies Team To Beat in 2011

According to reports, Cliff Lee will sign a five-year $120 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies . It was common thought that he would either be wearing a New York Yankees or Texas Rangers uniform next season.

Although it would seem that Philadelphia came in at the last minute to get Lee, perhaps they didn’t. The Phillies may have been the team he wanted to play for all along, and that could explain why he didn’t jump on the Yankees and Rangers offers during the winter meetings.

Lee’s signing will create a domino effect for the remaining free agents.

Here are five bold predictions on the impact Lee’s signing will have on MLB in 2011.

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Philadelphia Phillies Sign Cliff Lee To 5-Year Contract

In a shocking development, the Philadelphia Phillies reached an agreement on a 5 year, 115 million dollar contract. Also, there will be a vesting option that is very easily to be achieved. Basically, It is a 6 year deal. Overall, Lee will be making more money per year than if he had made the deal with the Yankees or Rangers.

What is the Fallout of this deal?

The Yankees now do not have a top of the league rotation anymore. They will have to convince Andy Pettite to come back for another year. Although the Yankees have one of the most explosive lineups in baseball, they have not made any progress this off-season. In order to make up for the lost time, the Yankees will have to work quickly to make a deal for Zack Grenkie, or put significant work into their bullpen to make it unstoppable. Either way, they will need Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova to step up.

The Phillies have one of the best rotations in MLB history. Cliff Lee. Roy Halladay. Cole Hamels. Roy Oswalt. Its scary to think that they have four aces on their team now. It appears the money that was offered to Jayson Werth was then thrown at Lee to get this deal done. There is no team that has close to as much depth in their rotation as the Phillies. They are now the favorites to win the National League by a long shot. They will have to be active during the rest of the off-season as well. Their bullpen has struggled for the past couple of years, so they will need to address that issue. They will also need to trade Joe Blanton, because they simply do not have the money to pay him and four aces. I assume this will happen soon. As Buster Olney of ESPN has said, “The irony is that no team was more convinced that Lee would chase every last nickel than the Phillies — who traded him because of this.”

The Rangers should not have been offering the enormous contracts that they offered. Their final offer was 161 million for 7 years, making them the high bidder (if vesting the option taken into account). This team would have had no flexibility in the future. It would have taken away from the money that they will use to extend some of their young studs (Andrus, Feliz). They had been looking into Adrian Beltre for the past couple of days as a backup plan. He seems like a perfect fit for them. They have a huge need at 3B, and his power will translate to their ballpark. They will also explore a trade for Zack Grenkie. There is less worry for them than the Yankees over Grenkie cause of his history of anxiety related issues.He could thrive in Texas; however, the ballpark has historically been known to destroy pitchers.

The Angles ultimately lose will lose out on all of their main targets this off-season (Crawford, Beltre). As a result, they will shift their focus to close Rafael Soriano. He is the best closer on the market by far this year. They have a whole at closer and a lot of money to spend on players. It is a perfect match.

The biggest indirect winner from Cliff Lee’s deal is the Boston Red Sox. They put themselves in a position where they can be called the favorites to win the American League. If the Yankees had gotten Lee, they would have been neck and neck with the Red Sox. Since they did not, it appears that the Red Sox superior offense will lead them to an American League Crown. The biggest indirect loser will be the World Champion San Francisco Giants. Their main strength has been their deep rotation. Now that strength is no longer as helpful as it seemed only a few hours ago.

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Cliff Lee: Return to Philadelphia Phillies Spells Trouble for Rest of MLB

So we finally know who won the two-team race between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees for Cliff Lee.

According to ESPN the winner is…the Philadelphia Phillies?

Suffice to say, that came out of left field.

The Phillies entered the Lee bidding at the last minute and apparently were convincing. 

Their offer of more than $100 million over five years was substantially less than the six years and $138 million offered by the Yankees.

So what are the repercussions of this surprise signing?

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