Cliff Lee going back to Philly ... this needs its own thread

Really? Ever heard of Gallardo, Bush, Wolf, Suppan and Parra? Duh.

Seriously, I think the Phillies just clinched the NL East and home-field advantage. That rotation is scary-good.

And as a Brewer fan, I wish C.C. Sabathia had had a Lee-like epihany like this when the Brewers had a similar offer on the table for him vs. a higher Yankees offer back in '08.

 

The Phantastic Phour?

 

I can't blame the Yankees for trying. Lee just ended up taking less money. And I can't see them trying for Greinke, just because the guy can't take the pressure in NY and isn't a very good fit for the ballpark.

Could any of this, for the Yankees, be Jeter's fault? He wasted their time trying to suck them for every last dollar when they could have been concentrating on their pitches for Lee and Crawford.

 

I hear you Baron, but what else could they have offered Lee? The Chrysler Building?

 

Edit:
Home-field depends on the All-Star game, which likely will be decided by some scrubs from Kansas City and Houston who are only there because Ron Washington and Bruce Bochy were forced to include them on the team.

 

I would think every other pitcher in the National League would want to bean him for leaving that much money on the table.

It really is a bizarre decision. I had heard (maybe it was Heyman on WFAN) that Lee was pissed at the Phillies because he liked it there and when it came time to negotiate an extension, they made an offer, he turned it down and they traded him. The quote I remember hearing was him saying, "Wait, I thought this was a negotiation."

It's not about the money (clearly). It's not about winning (he had his choice of winning teams with Texas, NY or Philly). So it just came down to liking Pennsylvania a lot?

 

Three bad days in October and it's nothing. And don't kid yourself if you don't think three bad days are very possible for any set of pitchers.

But that's still an awesome rotation.

 

My thought on Jeter, and it may be totally off-base, was that the Yankees were concentrating on keeping him (and Rivera), and were delayed in concentrating on getting Lee.

It could totally be another reason, or Lee maybe didn't feel like he was the top priority. Same with Crawford. Had Jeter just taken the $15 mill, the Yanks could have turned to Lee and Crawford sooner.

 

Not true at all Baron. They were in contact with Lee's people all the while they were battling Captain I'm not Arrogant.
Their first offer to Lee was 6-years, $140 mill then they uppsed it to 7/161. Fact is he just didn't want to come to NY, no matter how much they paid him. Jeter has nothing to do with it.

 

Nah ... Cashman had wanted to get Jeter locked up before the winter meetings (he also wanted to limit the contract to 3 years at less than $20 mil per). He did what he wanted on that front.

I don't think the Yankees even expected to sign Lee in Florida.

When he hadn't agreed by Saturday, I think they began to realize that he might not sign at all.

 

http://twitpic.com/3fs9jn

 

Minor quibble: Greinke and Soria have been legit all-stars the past three years. They're not some scrubs.

Somehow, I have a feeling Greinke will start opening day for the Royals. No one seems overly eager to pony up/part with prospects at catcher, middle infield and center field.