Cliff Lee is a Philly again?

[Boltfan]

Again with your made up terms. How exactly is $120 million over 5 years not market value? http://philly.sbnation.com/philadelp...lphia-phillies

Are you telling us someone offered him $171 million for 5 years to play elsewhere? You said it was 70% of market value. Who exactly offered him that? According to the NY Post (http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yanke...Hkm1viIOUBYjnL
he was offered $154 million for 7 years. Now my math skills may be a bit fuzzy but isn't $24 million per year more than $22 million per year?

He is now the highest paid pitcher on his team and the highest in all of MLB. CC Sabathia is the only one higher (http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/28155485/) at 7 years for $161 million in total value. It is still less per year. CC is also 2 years younger.

Career stats Lee: http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl.../leecl02.shtml
Career stats Sabathia: http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...abatc.01.shtml

CC has better career stats in innings, ERA, Shutouts, wins, strikeouts and on and on.

You are reaching TTH to say that he did a disservice by ONLY accepting $120 million for 5 years to play where he prefers to play. And, as usual, you completely glossed over the fact that he wanted to be there. You also completely ignore the fact that $120 million in Philly versus a higher figure in NY is much higher after taxes and cost of living.

Dazzle me with your bullshit. All that crap about free-agency and Curt Flood (I know my baseball history) and you didn't even do your math right.

OBJECTION your honor. Counsel is grandstanding.

[TexTushHog]

Philly contract is supposedly $100M/5 years. At least that's what I read last night and what a Google search seems to confirm.

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/14/132047...0-million-deal

http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/ar...s-lets-gi.html

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/...__5_years.html

[Boltfan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb...e=MLBHeadlines

Your google search contains old articles.

Get up to date before grandstanding.

[Whirlaway]

I wish Lee alot of success and am glad the Rangers didn't go in deep with him. I think he only has about 3 good years left. Not the 5 to 6 years his agent was demanding and Philadelphia agreed to.

Free agency means being free to negotiate any deal you want. I.E. being independent to set your own negotiating terms and conditions. It doesn't mean negotiating the highest salary possible. Obviously Lee placed alot of emphaiss on the comfort zone of Philly. Its refershing that a top level player wasn't enticed by the big wallet of NYY.

[Whirlaway]

The skinny on Lee negotiations:

[* Rumored best offers: Texas apparently offered six years at $23 million annually (some deferred), with a seventh year option - a vesting option - at the same amount, for a possible total of $161 million (Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, who called Texas the "high bidders"; Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated on the "huge, huge deferrals"); New York's equivalent proposal was reportedly for a similar and possibly slightly less valuable six-year package ($22 million or $23 million per year) and a seventh-year player option for $16 million, for a possible total of $148 or $154 million (Jerry Crasnick and Buster Olney of ESPN, Heyman); Philadelphia offered five years at $21.5 million annually, with an "easily reachable" vesting option at $27.5 million that the club can buy out for $12.5 million, making the package a guaranteed $120 million over five years that could end up being $135 million over six years (Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, and Crasnick on the "easily reachable" part)]

In the end Lee really wanted to be in Philly. It was actually Lee who instigated the discussions with Philly. Lee personally called Jeff Daniels to give him the news he was heading to Philadelphia; but let his agent call NY to tell them. Gotta love that !

And what was Lee doing during the negotiations? Hunting with Tommy Hunter.

Dang I am gonna miss Lee in a Texas Ranger uniform.

Thanks Cliff for such a great October !


What notable others have said about being in Philadelphia.......

On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia
-W.C. Fields

At the stage in life where other men prosper, I'm reduced to living in Philadelphia
-John Adams

[TexRich]

The Philly deal was a good one and it was not as low as first reported. But nevertheless, fuck him! He is the enemy and I hope he has a short healthy stay in Filthy!


yes I am vindictive!

[YankeesSuck]

that senior citizen is gonna do nothing