The Phillies shocked all of MLB by sweeping in and signing Cliff Lee to less money and fewer years than he'd be offered by New York and Texas, the two considered contenders.
Lee really fell in love with Philadelphia during his time here, and jumped at the opportunity to come back in agreeing to a five-year deal in the area of $100-120 million with an option for a sixth year.
His signing forms the best rotation in the league, which could even be entered into conversations of the best rotation in the history of MLB.
Yankee fans treated Lee's wife poorly while he was in attendance of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium by spitting, pouring beer and verbally abusing her. Lee and his agent claim this had no bearing on Lee's decision, but that's a bit hard to believe.
New York is in a bit of panic today. The Yankees aren't used to failing to sign all of their targets (Carl Crawford signed with Boston). They're still sure to try to acquire someone to improve an aging team that was knocked out of the post-season by Lee and the Rangers last season.
The Phillies and Giants would have been considered favorites in the NL heading into the 2011 season if not for the Lee deal. The Phillies now should be considered the clear favorites again.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment