Cliff Lee agrees to re-sign with the PHILLIES!

[MrSlayer]

http://www.nesn.com/2010/12/report-cliff-lee-agrees-to-sign-with-phillies.html

According to YES reporter Jack Curry, the Yankees have been told by Lee's representatives that he plans to sign elsewhere, and that appears to be Philadelphia. Curry also reports that the Yankees offered Lee a seven-year deal worth $150 million. It appears that Lee's deal with the Phillies will be for significantly less.

The Yankees and Rangers seemed to be the runaway favorites to land Lee, but the Phillies' late offer may have been what Lee was looking for the whole time.

The 2008 AL Cy Young winner pitched just under 80 innings for the Phillies in the 2009 regular season after being traded from the Indians. He then led the Phillies to the 2009 World Series where the Phils fell to the Yankees.


Holy shit! Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, and Hamels. May be the best pitching staff assembled in the past 50 years.

[charlie and algernon]

1. that's an insane pitching rotation

Those four guys could account for 70 of your wins alone. The Phillies might the first team with a seriously legit shot of winning 2 games out of every 3 in each series. Scary good.

[HuckleB]

2. This might be the best possible scenario, at least from my point of view.

I may have to spend a few days down in SF, when the Phillies hit the west coast next summer.

[rocktivity]

3. I thought the Rangers had a realistic shot

since his off-season home is in Arkansas.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[MrSlayer]

4. He turned down $50 million more from Texas and $60 million more from the Yanks.

He signed for 5 years $100 million to come back to Philly. There is an option for a sixth year, not sure if it's club, player or incentive. Unreal.

[rocktivity]

5. Well, maybe he's thinking like LeBron

He'll be under less pressure as a cog in a strong offensive machine rather than a one-man franchise.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[MrSlayer]

6. Could be.

Could also be that he just really liked it here. He was treated like gold. Our fans have a nasty reputation but if you're one of ours you'll never be treated better.

[Auggie]

11. Maybe he likes real baseball (as in no DH)

[TZ]

7. It's a nice signing

But as someone pointed out on twitter tonight- the Giants managed to beat everyone of those pitchers in post season play this year- and beat them soundly.

[MrSlayer]

8. Sure, the Giants grabbed the momentum and never gave it up.

All credit to them, they got hot and stayed hot. Most of the bats on the team are nothing special but they were in a groove and their pitching is fantastic. You can't count on the Cody Rosses of the world to perform like that on a regular basis. I don't want to call them a fluke because it would be insulting to a team that legitimately won the Championship. However, I don't expect a repeat.

[TZ]

9. Next year should be interesting

Screw the AL East. I think the NL East is gonna be a VERY interesting division. Even better in 2012 when Strasburg is back full time.

[rep the dems]

20. Actually, they barely beat Halladay and Oswalt only lost the one game

where he was thrown in in the 9th. Hamels wasn't great in Game 3. I don't know what happened with Lee in Game 1 of the World Series but he was bound to have a slipup at some point. I like our chances against anybody right now, including San Fran.

[Ganja Ninja]

10. Pretty bad - He's going back to Philly because the fans are nicer!

Clean up your act Yankee fan.:rofl:

[Sugarcoated]

15. They reported here that his wife pushed for Philadelphia over the Yankees

because when she was watching Cliff pitch in the playoffs, at NY, the fans were not only very rude, but she was spit on.

[Ganja Ninja]

21. Exactly.

That's what I'm talking about. Philly fans have a nation wide reputation of being the most vile to visitors to their park. When you get get dissed for them you know you have problems.

[Sugarcoated]

23. I've gone to many Phillies games over the years

and I've never seen what people say is so bad about them. I wasn't born here, so I'm more of a neutral observer, don't get the bad rap, except for the occasional asshole which you'd find anywhere, just people.

[Sugarcoated]

12. Merry Cliffmas Philly!

:bounce:

[bigwillq]

13. Lee brings his talents to South Philly!

:P :rofl:

:thumbsup: to you for a great subject line! :rofl: LOL

[Sugarcoated]

16. I plagerized a headline . . . .

:blush: But . . .

Be sure to have Happy Halladay! :P

[JonLP24]

14. I didn't expect that one

Wow--I shouldn't be surprised, he did play for them, but I am.

[Upton]

17. Well, that does it..

we might as well give next year's Commissioners Trophy to the Phillies right now. I mean, why even bother playing next season? :eyes:

Oh, the Giants went 2-0 versus Lee in the World Series..

[Jack Rabbit]

18. To the Yankee fans who harassed Mrs. Lee during the League Championship Series . . .

Take that, motherfuckers. Lee signs for less money to play in Philly than he would have gotten to play for you.

[DinahMoeHum]

19. JR, this here Yankees fan says it's no big deal.

In the end, only a few big-shot sports egos are bruised, really.

Lee didn't want to be The Man in the Texas Rangers, and at best he would have played second fiddle to CC Sabathia at the Yankees. He just wants to be one of the guys at Philly and finally win that World Series ring, which has eluded him 2 straight times.

Shades of LeBron James here. Lee's 32 years old and not getting any younger. He wants to go out a winner. Nothing new about that.

[TZ]

22. No this is nothing like LeBron

Lee actually had lived and played in Philly and liked it there AND liked the guys on the team. In fact, it was thought that the Nationals had a chance because him and Jayson Werth are very good friends. If you look at the interviews he did after he was INVOLUNTARILY traded to Seattle, you can tell he was very disappointed.
Oh and LeBron STILL does not get the difference...yesterday he was quoted as saying that his moving from Cleveland to Miami was a "lifestyle sacrifice" . :wtf: LeBron left voluntarily for ego driven reasons (The Decision was ALL about Ego)...Cliff Lee is returning to someplace he DID NOT want to leave for personal reasons. Big difference.

[rep the dems]

24. Thank you for pointing this out.

Comparing Lee's decision to come back to a city that embraced him for less money than he could make with other championship contenders to Lebron's arrogant abandonment of his hometown team that had been on the brink of greatness for several years is just ridiculous.