December 14, 2010

Lee Leaves Money

Cliff Lee agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract with the Phillies with a vesting option for a sixth year:

According to reports, the Rangers were willing to give Lee a 6-year deal worth $120 million, while the Yankees were dangling a 7-year, $150 million deal. Lee, an Arkansas native, chose the Phillies instead.

The Associated Press reported that Lee’s deal with the Phillies is subject to his passing a physical. The AP, citing a person familiar with the Phillies deliberations, reported they have been considering trading pitcher Joe Blanton and/or outfielder Raul Ibanez to clear payroll space.

Previous reports put the Yankees bid nearer to $160 million, but Cliff still took fewer years and less dollars per year to sign. As I went to bed last night I though the Phillies might trade Cole Hamels or Roy Oswalt, since either of those would bring back a player the Phillies could use to plug a hole, but it appears the Phillies are going with four aces, Roy Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Hamels. This rotation should be able to compete with the best of the Oakland and Atlanta staffs of the late 1980s and early 1990s. They certainly have a roation to compete with the four excellent pitchers in San Francisco.

The Phillies get the prospects from the Lee trade to Seattle and Lee back at a very reasonable price. Great job by Ruben Amaro, Jr.

I suspect the MLBPA will be upset by this. They like stars to sign the biggest contracts possible, as that pushes up salary for everyone else. In an off-season where teams are regularly doling out big money for good but not great players, Lee turning down money is a shock.

Andy Pettitte‘s value just skyrocketed. Brian Cashman needs to find a plan B. Part of that will be to lure Pettitte back to the team, but we’ll see if Cashman goes home grown with the fifth starter or if he makes a trade. The interesting thing to me is that the Yankees didn’t pull their usual gambit of blowing the free agent away with an offer he couldn’t refuse. They did not offer Cliff Lee CC Sabathia money, and maybe Lee saw that as the team not being as serious about him as they were about his former teammate.

For Texas, it’s not as big a blow as I doubt they fully expected to keep Lee. They no doubt have the money to sign Adrian Beltre now.

Update: Phil Sheridan agrees with me that the Phillies might trade one of their other aces, because Amaro flipped Lee last season:

So there has to be some chance that Amaro is planning to use one of his other aces – someone not named Joe Blanton – to acquire a righthanded bat or bullpen help or whatever. A chance.

1 thought on “Lee Leaves Money

  1. ptodd

    Lee has a vesting option that could get him over 140 million over 6 years. The cost of living and taxes in NY could the Phillies offer close to the Yankees on a AAV basis.

    The Yankees have an opportunity here. The starting rotation and lineup will not be the deciding factor between the Red Sox and Yankees. It will be the bullpen.

    The Red Sox have yet to address their biggest weakness, which is the bullpen. The Yankees have all kinds of money to spend after losing Johnson, Vazquez and Jeters pay cut. If they blow the Red Sox out of the water by signing whats left of the better relievers on the market, even if they have to overpay, they can negate the loss of Lee.

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