The marquee free agent pitcher of this offseason was clearly the left handed starter Cliff Lee. Many believed that he would lead Texas to a World Series Championship, but he fell a little short in this endeavor. If Cliff Lee is the competitor that everyone says he is, then Lee is probably disappointed with his World Series performance. Remember his Game 1 numbers?4.2 IP, 8 hits, 7 R (6 ER) in a loss. Game 2 was better, but still not the masterful performance that viewers had been accustomed to: 7 IP, 6 Hits, including a bomb of a homerun, 3 R, all earned. So my question, why did Cliff Lee leave a World Series contender if Cliff Lee was "being Cliff Lee" (Gammons, "Lee's Decision All About Cliff Being Cliff")?
When free agency hit, there were two teams that were willing to offer Cliff Lee the big money contract. These two options were Nolan Ryan and the Texas Rangers and Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees. The Rangers needed the frontline starter and professionalism Cliff Lee brought to the dugout. The Yankees wanted another top starter in case lefty Andy Petitte retired. It seemed to be a two team race. After countless blogs were posted and potential contracts were reported, Cliff Lee did what many did not see coming: he went to Philadelphia to be a #2 starter behind ace Roy Halladay who earlier in the postseason threw a No-Hitter! Yet again I ask, Why!?
I read Peter Gammons' article "Lee's Decision All About Cliff Being Cliff" and I was astonished. According to the article, "He wants to throw strikes, pitch for a winning team, be around players with whom he relates and catch the biggest bass." Well, he was doing all of those in Texas, was he not? The idea that Cliff was doing what he wants is noble in theory, but practically, GIVE ME A BREAK! The Phillies were the same team that traded away Cliff to acquire Roy Halladay. The front office clearly valued the Ace legitimacy of Doc over Cliff Lee. Now, I can't speak for Lee, but if I were considered one of the top pitchers in the game, and was traded for someone else, I would be a little pissed, especially if I had led the team's rotation into the World Series single-handedly. Naturally, the counter argument for this is that baseball is a business and it is a business decision. Granted. But to remove your emotions completely from the trade is impossible. Players are human beings, not business organizations. I am not saying that what the Phillies did was to upset Cliff Lee in any way, shape, or form, but that in any deal where a player is going to a different franchise, it is an adjustment that one must psychologically and emotionally make. So if the requirements from the article are true, Philadelphia would be the last place Lee should have gone. He had been a part of a great roster in Texas that was close to his hometown. They nearly won the World Series, and I think Cliff Lee, (again) if he is the competitor that everyone keeps writing he is, would want another crack it at in Texas. Based on the wants he listed in the article, Texas is a frontrunner. In New York City, his good pitching friend CC Sabathia was welcoming him with open arms. The Yankees have been a shoe-in every year to make the playoffs, and the fans felt almost entitled to Lee with the money and perks of city life. Yes, New York is away from home, but it is a city like no other. Philly was a franchise that traded him away and lost in the championship series of the playoffs. I am not a geography guy by any means, but Philadelphia is much farther away from Arkansas then Texas. This is also a team whose offense is getting plain bad: the loss of Jayson Werth, the decline of Ryan Howard's ability to hit a baseball, Jimmy Rollins ability to get on base to name a few. I would suspect that of all the teams Lee was choosing from, Philadelphia would be at BEST a third choice.
The decision itself was a shocking one. He passed up money from both the Yankees and Rangers to be a part of what looks like an absolutely scary rotation. People admire the fact that players are turning down money to be a part of winning teams. It is a Lebron James move. But, let's be honest Mr. Lee. A real competitor wants to beat the best opponents out there, and guess what, hiding behind Roy Halladay in Philly is a great way to be a competitor, isn't it? A true competitor would want to go head to head with the other baseball elites. If you did stay in Texas, you could compete with your great pitching friend CC, you could have a potential World Series matchup in Games 1, 4, and 7 against Doc, becoming a legend in baseball history. But unfortunately, like your ability to deceive batters, you are deceiving yourself as a #2 starter in Philly. For shame Cliff, for shame.
No comments:
Post a Comment