Cliff Lee Reportedly Agrees To Contract With the Phillies

What a difference a few hours makes. The idea of Cliff Lee signing with Philadelphia was not even being tossed around just a little while ago but it now appears to be the truth.

That means that the Phillies will have a pitching rotation that features three of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball. The staff will no doubt be unmatched by anyone in the National League and the Phillies seem to have a clear cut path to the Playoffs if Lee, Roy Halladay, and Roy Oswalt all stay on the team through September.

The most recent reports say that Lee is working on a five-year, $100 million deal with the option for a sixth year.

More information on this monumental story will be coming out soon.

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Cliff Lee Shows Philly Brotherly Love As The Prodigal Son Returns

On June 29, 2009 a love affair started between a left handed pitcher and a team looking for back to back titles; just six months later the relationship was over.

Cliff Lee, who had been dealt to the Phillies for four prospects, was dealt to the Mariners and the fans of Philadelphia haven’t let it go.

For the past year, radio stations, news papers, blogs and just casual water cooler talk in the city have cursed the Phillies for letting Lee go. The city of brotherly love showed Lee the love, and at a little past midnight on December 14th, he showed it right back.

Most people that had been following Cliff Lee knew that he was headed into free agency looking to cash in. The general consensus was that Lee would look to take his talents to the big apple and team up with his former Indians teammate C.C. Sabathia.

If it wasn’t going to be the Yankees, it would surely be the Texas Rangers, the team that swept in and stole Lee from the Yankees grasp during the 2010 trade deadline. But after the winter meetings had come and gone, and Cliff hadn’t signed with the Yankees, speculation started swirling that maybe Lee wasn’t going to be wearing Yankees pinstripes.

Maybe it wasn’t all about the money with Cliff Lee; maybe the situation in New York and his wife really put a bad taste in his mouth.

Even as Lee played the waiting game, most still figured it was a two horse race. That is until Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman reported that there was a “third mystery team in the Lee sweepstakes. A place that Lee reportedly loved but the offer was substantially less than the Yankees.”

As speculation started swirl around about who this mystery team could be, the Yankees and Rangers still patiently awaited Lee’s decision.

And then it all came out: Ken Rosenthal reported that the “mystery team” was the Phillies and that they were in serious contention for the prized lefty. Phillies fans started to salivate at the thought of their beloved Lee returning to the Phillies.

“Imagine it. Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Hamels….. that’s the best rotation in baseball. Those four….I mean who’s gonna beat them?!”

But still being in a race and being able to win are two different things.

And Phillies fans knew full well that Lee returning would mean he would have to leave a bunch of money on the table, and tell New York “no thanks” something they aren’t used to hearing.

As the thought of the magical rotation started to swirl about, the news finally hit the wire.

“Cliff Lee has reportedly reached a preliminary agreement to return to the Phillies for a reported five year deal in the 120 million dollar range.” MLB.Com’s T.R. Sullivan broke the story.

So, there you have it baseball fans: The greatest rotation in possibly baseball history has been put in place. Not since the 1971 Orioles rotation that featured four 20 game winners has a rotation been this dominant.

A rotation that will feature the reigning NL Cy Young winner (Halladay), a former World Series MVP (Hamels), a former AL Cy Young award winner (Lee) and last but not least a three-time All-Star and a former NLCS MVP (Roy Oswalt).

Lee has left around $50 million on the table to once again don Phillies pinstripes. In the day and age of greed, it’s amazing to see a baseball player leave that amount of money and take a lesser deal.

$100 million, of course, is nothing to shake a stick at but it is certainly close to, if not the most money ever left on the table.

A day before the one year anniversary of him leaving Philadelphia, the prodigal son has returned. His five year deal will likely bring with it free drinks and dinners for life.

I bashed Cliff Lee, thought he was trying to save face by saying he liked his time in Philadelphia and thought he would take the money and run.

I said countless times, “CLIFF LEE WILL NEVER BE A PHILLIE EVER AGAIN” and I can say that I love being wrong.

After seeing Jayson Werth take the money, I would have been happy to see Lee go anywhere but the Yankees.

To see a player tell the evil empire no is simply amazing, but then to have that player return is even better.

I said a lot of bad things about Cliff Lee this past year and because of it, I will be eating crow for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I couldn’t be happier.

Can you say “Mystery Team to beat?”

 

YOU CAN FIND THIS ARTICLE, AND MANY LIKE IT AT CRACKED BELL SPORTS

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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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Cliff Lee Signs With the Philadelphia Phillies

Cliff Lee, the biggest free agent target of the 2010 offseason, has agreed to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies, reports the Associated Press.

The deal, which is for five years at $100 million in total, was, in fact, not the highest bid for the ace lefty. The Yankees offered Lee a guaranteed $138 million for six years, with a $16 million player option for a seventh year, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

A Phillies 2011 starting rotation that includes Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton is arguably the best in the history of the game.

The report of Lee’s signing comes almost exactly one year after the Phillies traded him to the Seattle Mariners as part of a three-team trade, the trade in which they landed 2010 NL Cy Young award winner Halladay.

It is not yet known what the Texas Rangers offered Lee. They will receive the Phillies 33rd overall pick, plus a supplementary first-round pick in next year’s draft.

Even with Blanton making a very nice fifth starter for the club, they are said to be shopping him now to free up their payroll, as Blanton is due to make $17 million over the next two seasons. Left fielder Raul Ibanez is also a player who could be shopped by the Phillies in order to free up some money.

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Cliff Lee: Is It Possible That He Doesn’t Care About Money?

The title is not a joke. According to reports, the Cliff Lee sweepstakes are over. Cliff Lee has signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for a five-year, $100 million contract. Yes, that’s an expensive contract, but I am willing to bet Lee is worth every penny. For a player of his caliber to get $20 million a year is fair value, not the overpriced value that the Yankees give players.

What’s so amazing is that the Texas Rangers offered him at least $20 million per year and for six years with a possibility of seven years. The Yankees are rumoured to offer seven years for at least $20 million per year. This means Cliff Lee has foregone at least $40 million. And for what? A championship.

I am one who is extremely vocal that the spending in the MLB has gotten out of control. Where one team gets to spend more on one player than an entire team sometimes. But Lee decided to not accept these mega deals. He decided to be a winner.

I thought he was one of those people who only cared about getting paid. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (athletes have a short career so I don’t know why people criticize them for following the cash), but I truly admire and respect Lee for taking less money to win.

People are gonna come out and call him an idiot. They are going to say he could have won with the Yankees and gotten more money. To those I simply say one thing: stop letting your loyalty to the Yankees cloud your judgement.

Seriously, there is no way the Yankees are as good as the Philadelphia Phillies. Yes, the Phillies won a couple years ago, so what did they do? They restocked their starting rotation while all the Yankees could do is watch in awe. Seriously, the bluff with Crawford? What the hell was the point? You should have been wining and dining Lee. In the meantime, the Phillies may have become a dynasty.

Now, people won’t believe me. To them, I simply respond: have you seen their starting rotation? I’m terrified of it.

First, you have Roy Halladay, the best pitcher in the NL and in my opinion the entire league. Then you have Cliff Lee, a true terror in the playoffs. And finally, you have Roy Oswalt, an ace in his own right. You have these three players—add in Hamels and you have the best rotation for the playoffs, possibly in the history of the sport.

The Red Sox may have created the best offense in baseball by acquiring Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. But remember the Yankees have been down that road before. They spent 10 years stockpiling brilliant hitters, and while they always had the highest budget in baseball they could not win a championship.

The Red Sox have committed to their offense with solid pitching, the Phillies on the other hand have pitching set, and their offense is no slouch either. Ask me who the World Series favorites are now, and I say this move puts the Phillies over the top.

As for Lee, if I said it once, I’ll say it again: He is truly a unique player in this day and age. He chose to win over the almighty dollar. People kill for money—it can corrupt even the best of people. If he had taken the most money, nobody would’ve blamed him. But by choosing the Phillies, he has helped create a dynasty. Thank you.

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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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Cliff Lee to the Phillies: Good For Philadelphia, Bad For Everyone Else

If the Phillies somehow manage to land Cliff Lee, they would undoubtedly have one of, if not the greatest pitching rotation in baseball history. Just imagine the Pirates having to face Lee, Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt in a three-game series. Pittsburgh would be lucky to score a run.

I personally believe the Giants have had the best pitching staff the last couple years, and this season, they proved me correct. Not only did the Giants’ pitchers post one of the lowest September team ERAs of all time, Tim Lincecum and Co. went head-to-head with some of the best pitchers in baseball (Lee, Halladay and Oswalt) and beat them. In the playoffs.

But if San Francisco had to face Lee followed by Halladay followed by Oswalt followed by Hamels (Hamels would be the ace pitcher for quite a few MLB teams), I don’t see how the the Giants could stand a chance.

You can make the argument that if the Yankees were to sign Lee, it would be even worse for baseball than if Lee rejoined the Phillies. However, the Yankees are already a near lock for either the AL East or AL wild-card crown, so just one more ace on their team wouldn’t matter too much in the long run.

The National League, on the other hand, still has the possibility of being somewhat competitive next year. In the NL West, pretty much every team has a chance to win the division. In the Central, the Reds and Cardinals look about even and in the East, well… you can pretty much count on the Phillies having the edge, regardless of where Lee signs.

Lee joining the Phillies would put them on a whole different level than anyone else in the National League. In reality, only the AL East’s Red Sox and Yankees would even have the talent level to compete with Philadelphia.

There is no denying how good Cliff Lee is. Let’s face it, the Rangers were not good enough to make it to the World Series this year without him. He is already of the best playoff pitchers in the history of the sport and is worth every penny that he will be signed for. Of course, that is only if you believe that the average MLB player deserves to be paid $3 million a year.

Adding Lee to an already outstanding rotation is like adding insult to injury for any NL East opponents. How exactly can the Marlins compete with the payroll of the Phillies? Adding Lee to the Yankees rotation will at least make the Yankees-Red Sox games even better.

The best case scenario is that Lee stays with Texas. Angels fans will not be too happy, but there will at least be a little more parity in the American League. Most of all, it will keep the optimism level of Mets fans up, if only for a few months.

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Cliff Lee: Philadelphia Phillies Enter Sweepstakes

Ruben Amaro Jr., Phillies General Manager, is a man of mystery.

Citing the team’s policy against discussing negotiations with players, he often leaves much of the fan base and baseball writers alike wondering about the state of the Phillies’ off-season.

So when rumors of a third team, after the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees, were becoming involved in the battle for Cliff Lee, baseball minds immediately began to gravitate towards the ever-secretive Philadelphia Phillies.

But how involved are they?

According to Jim Salisbury of CSNphilly.com, who spoke to the Phillies General Manager at the annual Winter Meetings last week, the Phillies were trying to “shoot for the moon” with potential deals, which Salisbury interpreted to mean the Phillies were laying the groundwork with Kansas City for a potential acquisition of the Royals’ ace, Zack Greinke.

However, a recent report from ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick suggests that the Phillies and Royals haven’t talked about Greinke, making a trade unlikely.

So if not Greinke, then who?

As the Yankees and Rangers await an answer from the free agent class’ top talent, baseball writers have been speculating over news of a third interested team, one that would offer fewer guaranteed years than Lee’s known suitors, but would be a serious threat to the Yankees’ and Rangers’ chances regardless.

That is a hefty assumption, since the Yankees are rumored to have offered the left hander a seven year deal worth about $160 million.

The Rangers, who remain wary of offering the 32-year-old Lee a guaranteed seven years, offered an equally absurd amount of money.

So why would Lee seriously consider another destination?

Though Lee himself has come out to state that the incident may have been blown out of proportion, it is worth noting that his wife, Kristen Lee, had an unpleasant experience at Yankee Stadium in 2010.

While Lee took the mound on the road in New York, Kristen sat beneath a group of disrespectful Yankees fans, who would go on to throw their garbage at and spit on her. While there are going to be rowdy fans in any ballpark, it is worth noting.

The Rangers, on the other hand, do not have anything of the sort worth mentioning.

In fact, new Rangers’ President, Hall of Fame pitcher, Nolan Ryan, is in an excellent position to offer Lee a huge contract.

The Rangers, who just signed a large deal with a local TV-network, are helped by the backing of a new ownership group, headed by Chuck Greenberg, who has made his interest in Lee noticeable after flying to the lefty’s home in Arkansas twice.

While it is noted that both Cliff and his wife enjoyed their time in Philadelphia, how likely is it that the ace could rejoin the Phillies?

Well, that remains to be seen.

The Phillies are a team very reluctant to offer free agents a seven year deal. Outside of Chase Utley’s seven-year contract extension, the team has found comfort in giving its players three-year deals, a la Brad Lidge, Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, Placido Polanco, Roy Halladay, and Carlos Ruiz. 

So while Jayson Stark of ESPN believes that the Phillies are the third team in the Lee sweepstakes, he also notes that Lee will have to take less then seven guaranteed years.  

Guaranteed is the key word.

Lee, who will be 32 on Opening Day, has faced skepticism about his health, and whether or not he’ll be able to endure a seven-year contract.

The Yankees, who are the only team known to have offered seven years, probably only did so because they are desperate for starting pitching.

The Rangers remain firm at six years, while this elusive “mystery team” is offering less guaranteed years than both.

That’s the Phillies’ motive.

The Phillies, who were unwilling to offer Jayson Werth four guaranteed years, made him a very similar contract offer—three years with a vesting option for a fourth year based on performance.

Who is to say that they can’t offer Lee the same type of deal?

Envision, for a moment, the Phillies offering Cliff Lee a guaranteed four-year deal worth $23 million a year.

A four-year, $69 million deal is not a bad haul for a 32-year-old late bloomer.

Add to that some interesting contractual language, such as vesting options over the next three years, which become club options if the left hander fails to reach the quota, for games started, number of innings pitched, etc., and the Phillies and Cliff Lee could each reach a valuable agreement—a seven-year contract totaling $161 million.

The Phillies have a lot of valuable offers to make Lee, outside of money.

They will enter the 2011 season with the greatest “top three” in baseball, and arguably the best rotation in baseball.

If he were to join fellow aces Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt in red-pinstripes, the Phillies would have a perfectly balanced rotation—Halladay (R) / Lee (L) / Oswalt (R) / Hamels (L) / Blanton (R).

There are no guarantees in baseball, but the Phillies are early World Series favorites, and have assembled the greatest rotation in the history of baseball.

Bringing his family back to a city that showed him great respect and endured months of devastation after he left—all of these are points of interest for the 32-year-old family man, who has now appeared in the World Series twice and has yet to walk away with a ring.

Can the Phillies land Cliff Lee?—Absolutely.

However, it is going to take a bit of compromise from both sides.

The Phillies will undoubtedly be forced to move Joe Blanton or Raul Ibanez to make room on the 2011 payroll, and Lee will have to leave a large amount of money on the table to go to a place he is familiar with.

Any way you slice it, Cliff Lee makes any rotation better, regardless of his price tag.

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“Lights Out” or Lit Up? Which Brad Lidge Will Show Up For The Phillies In 2011?

Since his acquisition from the Houston Astros in 2008, Brad Lidge has been like a roller-coaster ride for the Phillies and their fans, and we’ve all just been along for the ride.

From the highs of his perfect season in 2008, to the lows of his league leading 11 blown saves in 2009, Lidge has become one of the most unpredictable closers in all of baseball, forcing fans to hold their breath as the ball leaves his hand.

Seeming to have rebounded in 2010, what can the Phillies expect out of Brad Lidge in 2011?

Being able to predict how Lidge will perform in the future is generated through understanding what made him so good, or so bad, in the past.

When the Phillies acquired Lidge from the Astros in 2008, they were expecting to get a dominant pitcher who desperately needed a change of scenery.

After years of mediocre to below average closers, the Phillies sent a couple of top prospects in Michael Bourn and Michael Costanzo, along with reliever Geoff Geary, to Houston for Lidge, and his impact was made immediately.

Over the first three months of the 2008 season, Lidge threw 32 innings as the Phillies’ new closer, posting an ERA of 0.85 and recording 19 out of 19 saves.

He hit his first rough patch in a Phillies uniform in July of ’08, where he allowed 8 earned runs in 15 innings, but thanks to an outstanding offense and a bit of luck, still managed to convert six out of six save opportunities.

Over the final two-plus months of the season, Lidge would make a bit of history for a historic Phillies team. He converted all 15 of his remaining save opportunities, with an ERA of 1.62.

Halfway through a season that saw Lidge convert a perfect 41 regular season save opportunities, then Phillies General Manager Pat Gillick rewarded his closer with a 3 year, $37.5 million contract, with a club option for 2012.

The gesture at the time was sound. After years of closers like Jose Mesa and Tom Gordon, the Phillies were locking up a man who was arguably considered the best closer in the National League.

The contract, signed in July 2008, had Philadelphians excited. Finally, a “lights out” closer in the ninth inning, and over the second half of the 2008 season, Lidge did not disappoint.

However, the following season would have Phillies fans and management alike second guessing their decision.

Lidge’s perfect 2008 season may have had a negative effect on him after all. After piling up 69.1 innings in 2008, he pitched through a sore arm for most of Spring Training in 2009, and questions of his health began to arise after a horrendous April that saw Lidge post an ERA above 7 in 8.2 innings of work.

After posting similar numbers in May, Lidge’s health concerns finally came to a head, when he missed most of June with injuries to both his right knee and pitching elbow.

Expected to bounce back after fully recovering from his injuries, Lidge disappointed. He would finish the 2009 season with 11 blown saves, the most of any pitcher in baseball, and barely clinging on to the role of closer, with set-up man Ryan Madson barking at his heels.

After posting 2009 totals of 0-8 with an ERA of 7.21, many fans were wondering if rewarding Lidge with a contract before his prior deal expired was a good idea. With one fantastic season and one horrendous season in tow, what did 2010 hold for Lidge?

Lidge’s 2010 campaign started like his 2009 season: filled with injuries. He went under the knife in January of 2010, having surgeries on both his pitching elbow and his right knee.

After missing the first month of the season, fans feared for the closer when he surrendered a home run to the first batter he faced in his return.

After struggling to find himself through the first half of the season, the dominant Lidge returned in August and September, where he tossed 24.2 innings of baseball to the tune of a 0.73 ERA.

He managed to turn in a decent season in 2010, going 1-1 with an ERA of 2.96 in 45.2 innings, collecting 27 saves along the way.

Uncovering what kind of season Lidge will have in 2011 is as simple as breaking down what makes him effective.

When the Phillies acquired Lidge from Houston, he was known as a two-pitch closer: a good fastball and a nasty slider. However, before his perfect season in 2008, Lidge added another pitch to his repertoire: a changeup.

These three pitches, over the course of the next three years, would determine in some way, shape, or form, what kind of season Lidge would have.

In 2008, Lidge’s most effective pitch was his slider, which he threw 50.7 percent of the time. What made this his most effective pitch was the number of ways that he was able to use it in different counts.

Able to control it to the maximum extent, he was able to paint both corners to get ahead in the count, or let the bottom fall out and make opposing batters look foolish.

Coming in at 85 mph with a sharp break, hitters had little time to react. Shrinking their reaction time even further was the fact that Lidge threw his second best pitch, a straight, 4-seam fastball, at 94 mph, 43 percent of the time, forcing hitters to “sit on” one of the two pitches: will he throw the sharp breaking slider, or the high cheese?

Realizing that hitters could predict one of his two pitches, Lidge added a third pitch to his arsenal. He threw his changeup a rare 5.4 percent of the time, keeping tough hitters off balance. At 84 mph, the straight chageup was a vast difference from his 94 mph fastball.

This allowed Lidge to become one of the most effective strikeout pitchers in baseball. In just 69.1 innings, Lidge struck out 92 batters, which translates to a K/9 of 11.94, among the league leaders for qualifying pitchers in 2008.

Never known for his control, he was also able to minimize the number of walks he allowed: 4.54 BB/9 in 2008. His greatest statistical advantage was that he gave up the home run on rare occasions (just twice in 2008) good for a HR/9 rate of 0.54.

He left an astounding 82.9 percent of runners on base, one of the most essential roles of the closer. This is what made Lidge so effective. He works backwards, according to most traditional baseball minds.

Instead of throwing his devastating slider off of his fastball, he throws his fastball off of his slider, mixing in an unpredictable changeup. Limiting walks and home runs, and piling up strikeouts is Lidge’s greatest asset. So, what went wrong in 2009?

In 2009, Lidge reduced the rate of his slider (47.2%), throwing it an almost equal amount of times as he threw his fastball (49.3%), and mixed in his changeup even less often than the year prior (2.2%).

Plagued by injuries for much of the year, many baseball minds, including Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee, believed that the increased use of Lidge’s fastball was his way of saying that he was uncomfortable with throwing his other pitches, an unfortunate side effect of elbow and knee troubles that forced him to the DL.

While averaging similar velocities on the speeds of both his slider and fastball, Lidge also showed a tendency to overthrow his changeup in 2009, increasing its average speed to about 85 mph.

Though it doesn’t seem like a major change, a decreasing disparity between the speeds of his fastball and changeup made a world of difference in the eyes of opposing batters.

Lidge’s 2009 struggles were very closely related with his control, or, lack there of it. His BB/9 increased from 4.54 in 2008 to 5.22 in 2009.

Pair that with a K/9 that decreased from 11.94 in 2008 to 9.36 in 2009, and the result that you get is that opposing batters are putting more of his pitches into play, evidenced by a ridiculous BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) of .369.

With those numbers fluctuating from years prior, it was important for Lidge to keep runners off base, and if they were to reach, to leave them there. However, his LOB% was way down from 2008 to a sad 62.8% in 2009.

Runners who reached base against Lidge weren’t often left there for long: he surrendered 11 home runs in his worst season as a closer.

In 2010, it appeared as though Lidge figured something out. Feeling good coming off of surgery, he returned a lot of confidence to his slider, using it more than ever (58.3%).

While nearly completely throwing his changeup by the wayside, he threw his fastball 38.6% of the time.

He made up for the lack of a changeup by slowing his slider down, now averaging about 83 mph, and throwing his fastball at an average 91 mph.

“Back to basics” was the 2010 theme for Brad Lidge, as he also saw a rise in his K/9 (10.25) and a decline in his BB/9 (4.73). 

While home runs were still a problem, he was able to decrease their damage against him, limiting his HR/9 to 0.99. He stranded 82 percent of runners left on base, and his astronomical 2009 BABIP came back down to .260.

So what can we expect out of Brad Lidge in 2011? “Lights out” or “Lit Up”?

The amount of Lidge’s success seems to be synonymous with how confident he is in throwing all three of his pitches.

While he’s shown over the course of his career that he can be successful while throwing just his fastball and slider, the presence of a changeup puts another thought in an opposing hitter’s mind.

The first thing that he will need to do is get back to pitching “backwards” in the count, for instance, throwing his slider in fastball counts, and his fastball when the hitter can expect a slider.

One promising note from Lidge’s 2010 season is that he realizes that his slider is his true bread and butter.

If he throws his slider 50-55 percent of the time, while mixing in his fastball and changeup, he will get back to being the strikeout pitcher that threw a perfect 2008 season.

Control is also going to be a major factor going forward. Lidge has shown in years past that he works much better with the bases empty.

Once a runner reaches first, Lidge’s slow delivery makes him very susceptible to stolen bases.

Keeping his home run totals down, and leaving runners on base were two of the things that Lidge did best in 2008, and will factor largely into his success, or failure, in 2011.

Bill James, who is a well recognized stat projection analyst, has little faith in Brad Lidge for the 2011 season. Used as a “best case scenario” by most baseball experts, James’ stat line for Lidge reads 4-3, with a 3.45 ERA and 30 saves.

However, if the last two months of Lidge’s 2010 season are an indication of anything, Phillies fans are in for a treat from a healthy, confident Brad Lidge in 2011.

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The Phantastic 4?: Are The Philadelphia Phillies Looking To Acquire Zack Greinke

According to a report by Jim Salisbury, Philadelphia Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has acknowledged that the Phillies have not only discussed dealing for Kansas City Royals’ ace Zack Greinke internally, but they have also talked to the Royals about potentially making a trade. While Amaro contends that the possibility of this deal occurring remains slim, any acknowledgement of interest from the highly ambitious and normally tight lipped Amaro means that the possibility does exist.

Much like Pat Gillick, the former Phillies GM and upcoming Hall of Fame Inductee who mentors him, Amaro has developed a reputation of being willing to trade for top quality talent, especially starting pitchers. In his two year stint as general manager for the Phillies, he has traded for three legitimate ace pitchers in Cliff Lee (who he later traded away to Seattle), 2010 National League CY Young winner Roy Halladay, and former Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt. 

What do all three of these trades have in common? They were all preceded with very little fanfare on the part of the Phillies and Ruben Amaro in particular. In the weeks leading up to the Cliff Lee trade near the trade deadline of the 2009 season, it was well known throughout baseball that the Phillies were trying to work out a deal for Roy Halladay, who was then a Toronto Blue Jay. As the deadline approached, Amaro decided to trade for Cleveland Indians’ pitcher Cliff Lee at a relative bargain price rather than sell the farm in order to acquire Halladay. Of course, this turned out to be a very good thing when Lee, pitching in his first postseason, led the Phillies to within two victories of a second consecutive World Series Championship.

In the end, however, Amaro got his man, acquiring for Roy Halladay last December in a trade that caught many off guard. In the time leading up to the trade, Amaro admitted that the Phillies still had an interest in Halladay but repeatedly said that the possibilities of a deal remained remote. Even more shocking though, was his decision to trade World Series hero Cliff Lee to Seattle in order to lower the payroll and restock the farm system. It was a decision that still haunts him to this day, although he did partially redeem himself by acquiring Roy Oswalt at last year’s trade deadline. (This trade was also a bit of a surprise.)

It is clear that Ruben Amaro is not only willing and able to make big time trades, but that he also likes to fly under the radar when doing so. This does not mean, however, that Amaro is being deceitful by calling any deal for Greinke a long shot. There are multiple obstacles that would hinder any trade for the Royals’ ace.   

First and foremost is that the Royals are listening to offers for Greinke, but have no pressing need to move him, so they will not accept anything less than what they feel is fair value. The Phillies’ farm system has lost some of its more valuable prospects in the previously mentioned trades, but there are still enough quality pieces there to get a trade done. The question is whether or not they will be willing to lose even more of their prospects, especially as fears that the Phillies are becoming too old have started to be raised by both the fans and the media.

Another potential problem is Greinke’s trade clause, which lets him veto trades to up to 15 different teams. Whether or not the Phillies would be one of these teams is not known, but it has been reported that Greinke wants to go to a contender, which the Phillies are. However, it has been speculated by some people that he would prefer a small market team where he would not be hounded by the media.

From the Phillies’ side of things, the biggest hold up if they decide that Greinke is worth the Royals’ asking price is the additional payroll that Greinke would add. In order to acquire him, they would either need to trade away at least one of their big league players (possibly Raul Ibanez or Joe Blanton) or go over their self imposed $150 million cap. They have stated that they would be willing to go over their cap for the right player, which Greinke, the 2009 AL CY Young Award winner, would probably be. 

Despite all of these obstacles, if the Phillies do find a way to acquire Zack Greinke, they would have not only the best pitching staff in all of baseball, but one of the top rotations of all time. With the offensive output down across the board last season, adding Greinke could go a long way, especially if this downward trend continues.  Although starting pitching is relatively low on the Phillies’ priority list for this off-season a pitcher of Greinke’s caliber is worth acquiring no matter what your other needs are. In his short time as general manager, Ruben Amaro has consistently shown that he usually has a card or two up his sleeve, and don’t be surprised if this time that card is another ace.

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