Ooooooooh…the Phillies were the “mystery team”. I get it now!
This…according to Jon Paul Morosi from FOXSports.com:
The Philadelphia Phillies stunned the baseball world on Monday night, agreeing to a contract with Cliff Lee for what is believed to be substantially less than the New York Yankees or Texas Rangers offered, multiple major-league sources confirmed to FOXSports.com.
Lee was widely expected to sign with the Rangers or Yankees. That presumption was shattered Monday evening, in the hours after FOXSports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal reported that the Phillies were still involved in the bidding for the left-hander.
You’re going to hear it plenty given one of the teams involved…but the 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner turning his back on the Yankees and signing with the Phillies is reminiscent of when Greg Maddux turned down the Bombers and returned to the Braves.
Except for the fact that 18 years ago, Maddux left a mere $6 million on the table and signed a $28 million-five year deal with Atlanta and early reports has Lee looking to make around $20 a season for the next six in Philadelphia.
Last season, Lee pieced together a 12-9 record with a 3.18 ERA while splitting time with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. For his career, he has a career record of 102-61 with a 3.85 ERA in nine seasons.
In the postseason, a place Phillies fans hope Lee helps lead them again, Lee is 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA over the past two years. He was unbeaten in October until this past World Series when he suffered back-to-back losses to the San Francisco Giants.
And yeah, if you’re keeping score…the Phillies rotation is consists of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.
Yikes.
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