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

[spnited]

I know, this is all over the baseball thread. But 21 is right.
There are some things that deserve their own threads and when something comes out of the blue like this one, it should not be buried on an all-purpose thread.

Apparently, Lee called the Phillies over the weekend and said he wanted to come back. So he's taking 5 years, $100 mill with a sixth year option and leaving more than $50 mill from the Yankees on the table.

Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Hamels. World Series over. Phillies win.

 

[melock]

Re: Cliff Lee going back to Philly ... this needs its only thread

Even as a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan it's hard to not envision the Phillies winning the World Series.

 

[outofplace]

They still have to hit, something didn't do against the Giants even before losing Werth. But yeah, they have to be favorites right now.

 

[imjustagirl]

Until Nick Punto signs with the Indians, this is by far my favorite move of the offseason.

[/bandwagonjumpingPhilsadopter]

 

[Guy_Incognito]

I know, this is all over the baseball thread. But 21 is right.
There are some things that deserve their own threads and when something comes out of the blue like this one, it should not be buried on an all-purpose thread.

Apparently, Lee called the Phillies over the weekend and said he wanted to come back. So he's taking 5 years, $100 mill with a sixth year option and leaving more than $50 mill from the Yankees on the table.

Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Hamels. World Series over. Phillies win.

If it's a player option, he didn't leave $50 million on the table unless they offered $170 million, which I hadn't heard.

 

[melock]

I think it's a vesting option that's easily attainable. The Phillies one that is.

 

[MightyMouse]

I've got to say, the Red Sox and Phillies have pulled off two of the biggest coupes of the offseason, leaving everyone else (Yankees, especially) the losers in free agency.

 

[Gues#t]

Hmmm. I'm guessing the tax situation in Philly is a wee bit less onerous than in NYC; but only a wee bit. Texas is a different story.

What do we know about Cliff Lee's lifestyle? I'd say he's probably making enough to support it, plus any stray relatives who may be out of work. Maybe he's been listening to Bernie Sanders. Heh.

But really, at some point, you have enough. And then you drag your agent to the table, kicking and screaming...

 

[DanOregon]

Even Phillies fans will have a hard time trying to boo these guys to make them better.

 

[Corky Ramirez up on 94th St.]

Lee, Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels sounds a lot like Cuellar, Palmer, Dobson and McNally.

Granted, it's December, but on paper has there ever been a rotation as dominant as this could be since the '71 Orioles?

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

Lee, Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels sounds a lot like Cuellar, Palmer, Dobson and McNally.

Granted, it's December, but on paper has there ever been a rotation as dominant as this could be since the '71 Orioles?

Glavine, Maddux, Smoltz and It Really Doesn't Matter?

Mussina, Pettitte, Clemens and It Really Doesn't Matter?

None I can think of with four members, no.

 

[steveu]

Un-****ing-believable. This ranks right up there as one of the most jaw-dropping moments in recent baseball history. As much as people pissed on Amaro for letting him get away, he should be commended for largely keeping this quiet.

 

[Bubbler]

Lee, Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels sounds a lot like Cuellar, Palmer, Dobson and McNally.

Granted, it's December, but on paper has there ever been a rotation as dominant as this could be since the '71 Orioles?

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.

 

[DanOregon]

The Phantastic Phour?

 

[Baron Scicluna]

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.

 

[melock]

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

 

[MightyMouse]

Lee, Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels sounds a lot like Cuellar, Palmer, Dobson and McNally.

Granted, it's December, but on paper has there ever been a rotation as dominant as this could be since the '71 Orioles?

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.

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.

 

[bigpern23]

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?

 

[RickStain]

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.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

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

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.