For one moment, let's forget that I ever tried to make you stop thinking about Clifton Phifer Lee by sitting on my high horse justifying The Trade for the past year and focus on what's really important here:
CLIFF LEE IS A PHILADELPHIA PHILLIE! AGAIN!
When the Phillies first signed Lee in July of 2009, everyone knew the inevitable. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was going to be a free agent following the 2010 season and he was more than likely going to be looking for a big payday when that time came. When Ruben Amaro, Jr. unexpectedly swapped one ace for another bringing Halladay to town, Philadelphia was a city divided. Was this the most bittersweet transaction in baseball history?We all know what happened after that. Before the season was even officially underway, Lee had undergone foot surgery, was suspended for head hunting, and eventually made his Mariners debut on April 30th, nearly a month after Opening Day. Less than a month later, Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in Major League Baseball history, and six weeks after that Lee was packing his bags for Texas. Doc went on to pitch the second no-hitter in postseason history, and Lee led the Rangers to their first World Series appearance in franchise history.
Lee, 32 years old, finished the 2010 season with a 12-9 record (of 28 games started, 7 complete games, one shutout, 212 and a third innings pitched), with a 3.18 ERA, 1.003 WHIP, and a staggering 10.28 strike out to walk ratio. He finished 7th in the AL Cy Young voting.
Halladay, 33, went 21-10 (33 GS, 9 CG, 4 SHO, 250 2/3 IP), enjoyed a 2.44 ERA (second lowest of his career in a season with 30+ starts), 1.041 WHIP, and 7.30 SO/BB. As if his year could not get any better, he was unanimously voted number one in the National League Cy Young race, receiving his second of his career.
All things remaining equal, it would appear RAJ and the Phillies made the right decision by choosing Halladay over Lee for the 2010 season. Everyone has their opinions on what could have been, but it wasn't until now that the impossible really seemed possible again: we can have both.
The people of Philadelphia really had nothing to think about going into the offseason other than Jayson Werth's eventual whereabouts. Roy Halladay and the rest of the gang would be back in 2011 with a few minor adjustments here and there, and life would simply go on. Cliff Lee had a bit more on his mind as his free agency not-so-quietly crept up on him. Would he remain in Texas? After all, he would be just a short, 40-minute flight from his hometown in Arkansas, he would be playing for a winning team, and let's not forget about the absence of a state income tax. On the other hand, the Yankees have lived up to their reputation of getting whatever they wanted and plopped a hefty offer of 6-years $160 million on the table in the hopes of wooing Lee back to the northeast.
But something incredible happened: He said "no."
All along there had been rumors of a "mystery team" lurking in the shadows trying to steal Lee away from the two favorites. The Phillies, who had previously been thought to be out of the race, swooped in late Monday night with an offer in the 5-year $100 million range surprising just about everyone. Recently, Lee had stated that he would entertain coming back to Philadelphia and that he genuinely enjoyed his time here, but Philly was the last place anyone thought he would end up as a free agent. As of midnight, both the Yankees and the Rangers have been notified that Cliff Lee would be rejoining the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2011 season and beyond.
Welcome back to Philadelphia, Cliff. We missed you! Pin It Now!
