One of the most dominant pitchers over the past few years just threw a big curve ball. The difference is that he didn’t have to stand on a mound to do it.
After every sports rumor mill, publications and news sites churned out numerous stories that charted the raging tug-of-war between the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers over pitcher Cliff Lee, it turns out that it was all an illusion that the 32-year-old magically performed. With a swift stroke of his pen, he etches his name on a five-year, $120 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, a team no one ever wrote about in connection with trying to acquire Major League Baseball’s most coveted free agent.
The documentation of the process has been a major headliner in sports since the San Francisco Giants won the World Series. Where would Lee go? What would it take to get him? Everyone knew how bad the Yankees wanted him, offering nearly everything he desired and more. They were willing to give him whatever he craved, even as their captain and face of the team since the mid 90s, Derek Jeter, faced difficulties with management on a new extension.
The Texas Rangers was also willing to shell out virtually all they had, which would have left the team with nothing but lint in their pocket. Knowing he was the reason they got to the 2010 World Series, they felt he was worth every penny they could give. So they matched the Yankees offer with the idea that the money, along with the love of the city and the organization showed him since being traded to Texas, would be enough to persuade him.
In the end though, they both were outshined by the dark horse Philadelphia Phillies.
Even more startling is the fact that he goes back to the team he helped get to the World Series in 2009 for less money and years under contract than both Texas and New York offered.
The Lee signing changes the landscape of baseball for years to come.
1) Philadelphia Jumps To The Favorite, Not Just In The National League, But Of All The MLB.
Despite the loss of Jayson Werth to the Washington Nationals, the Phillies appeared to still be a strong contender in their division and league. Sure the Nationals moved up the chain in the NL East, but they are still light years away from challenging the Phillies’ for the division title. The New York Mets, Florida Marlins, and Atlanta Braves all have done little to improve their roster, so labeling Philadelphia the favorites is still a no-brainer.
Now, with Lee joining a staff that boasts 2010 Cy Young Winner Roy Halladay, three time all star Roy Oswalt, and 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels, the Phillies have the best rotation in baseball and are a clear cut to win the 2011 World Series. With the core of their line-up returning in Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Shane Victorino, the Phillies merely substitute the big bat of Werth for a dominant pitcher in Lee.
And, if there was anything the Giants showed not only the Phillies, but to most of the baseball world, it’s that pitching leads the way to championships.
2) The New York Yankees Now Take A Backseat To The Red Sox
As the off season continued to progress, it was obvious that the signing of Lee was a big necessity if the Yankees wanted to remain favorites in their own division. With Boston signing five-tool outfielder Carl Crawford and trading for a middle of the lineup hitter in first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, New York desperately needed to make a splash.
The transaction to validate that would have been signing Lee.
Getting Lee would have given the Yankees the best one-two pitching combination in baseball with C.C. Sabathia. The emergence of Phil Hughes last season also helps as a strong third option in their rotation. The acquisition of Lee would have also been a stronger influence for 38-year-old Andy Pettitte to return, knowing that he would be the key to getting another title in New York.
Now, the Yankees have merely a mediocre rotation and are only the second best team in their division. Their arch-rival Red Sox are out in front early on, breathing a sigh of relief that Lee burned the Yankees.
3) Texas Rangers Sent Back Into Mediocrity
While the Yankees still appear to be a viable playoff contender despite not getting Lee, the Rangers look like they are stuck in a maze with no path leading to a way out.
The main reason (and some would contend the only reason) the Rangers got as far as they did last year was because they had the six-foot, three inch lefty taking throwing for them. He led a pitching staff whose track record doesn’t qualify nearly as close to Lee’s credentials.
C.J. Wilson converted to the starting rotation after five seasons as a reliever. Tommy Hunter is only 24-years-old and has yet to pitch over 130 innings in a season. Colby Lewis is a journeyman pitcher who returned this past season to the Major League after two years in Japan. Losing Lee makes the pitching staff mediocre at best, which has got to make Rangers fans cringe with the powerful lineup they put out consistently.
The loss also doesn’t certify Texas as the obvious front-runner for the AL West it would have been had he signed with them. Luckily for them, the three other teams (Angels, A’s, and Mariners) are still quite inferior to them. The Angels seem to be the only team capable of knocking off the 2010 Division Champs, as the A’s and Mariners continue to rebuild for the future.
Yet, now the Rangers can clump themselves in the same category as their other three rivals, despite still being the early AL West favorites, as a weaker team entering 2011 now that Lee is heading back east to Philadelphia.
It’s hard to believe that Lee’s transaction would have such a rippling, domino-effect on the world of baseball. His signing shifts the balance of power in various divisions of baseball and will no doubt change the outlook of the league for years to come.
Hard to believe that a pitcher can throw change-ups in baseball, even without hurling a single pitch.
The Cliff Lee Effect On Major League Baseball
