Cliff Lee Sweepstakes

2010 Free Agency Grand Prize, SP Cliff Lee

 As you might now both of the best two hitters in the free agent market have been signed. Jayson Werth has signed a seven-year 126 million dollar contact with the Washington Nationals and Carl Crawford has signed a seven-year 142 million dollar contract with the Boston Red Soxs. Meanwhile, the two best pitchers Cliff Lee and Carl Pavano have not yet signed a deal.

 Cliff Lee has been one of the most coveted pitchers over the last couple of years. In the last three years, Cliff Lee has been 48-25 with a 2.98 ERA. Now I know the loss total is high but think about this, when he played with the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners(in my mind two of the worst teams in the league) Lee was 15-12. He has been more than that because in his last two postseason appearance(with Philadelphia and Texas) Lee has made it to the World Series both times with those teams. Lee's pitching record in those Postseason is 7-2 with an amazing 2.13 ERA. His strike out to walk  ratio this year was a 10.28, which in my mind is amazing for a pitcher who pitched 212 innings this year. In his career he has a 62.6 winning percentage as a pitcher. The two main teams that are going after him are the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers, both team in my mind needs Cliff Lee it just depends on who wants him more.

Yankees SP CC Sabathia

  New York Yankees: The Yankees need Cliff Lee in my mind for many reasons. First, besides C.C. Sabathia, the Yankees didn't have one consistent pitcher the whole year. C.C. went 21-7 with a 3.18 ERA. Then the next best pitcher was Andy Pettitte who didn't qualify for the ERA title since he was out for a month, with a 11-3 record and a 3.28 ERA. Of the pitchers who started at least five games(which is 7) only three of them have a winning record(Sabathia, Pettitte, and Phil Hughes.) A.J Burnett who started off the season well with a 6-2 record with a 3.28 ERA, went on a nose dive from there finishing the year 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA. As you can see, there starting rotation was a big reason why they didn't do as good as they should of. Also, Pettitte has been thinking about retirement. If he retires, the Yankees projected rotation would be Sabathia, Hughes(18-8 4.19 ERA), Burnett, Dustin Moseley(4-4 4.96 ERA) and Ivan Nova(1-2 4.50 ERA) That is also a young rotation with Hughes, Moseley and Nova being all younger than twenty-eight. They could use Joba Chamberlain in the rotation, but he hasn't been the same this year, posting a 4.40 ERA. If the Yankees do not get Cliff Lee, there rotation and pitching staff could have another tough year that Yankee fans won't like.

Texas SP CJ Wilson

  Texas Rangers: The Rangers need Cliff Lee because they already wasted so much on him. They traded highly touted prospect Justin Smoak, RHP Blake Beaven, RHP Josh Lueke, and INF Matt Lawson just to get him. If he only stayed there for half of a season in my mind that is a lot to give up. Also, they don't really have a big name pitcher for them in that market. There best pitcher was C.J. Wilson, who went 15-8 with a 3.35 ERA.This was his first year as a starter, so you don't know how he will rebound next year. They also have Tommy Hunter, who did great his rookie year, Colby Lewis a journeymen pitcher for ten years, Rich Harden who is hurt every year and Scott Feldman, who just had knee surgery. They don't have any stability in that rotation and I think that will hurt them this upcoming year. If they keep Lee, they have a big name in a small market. Since the Rangers are bankrupt right now, they don't have that much wiggle room for his contract. If the Rangers are able to re-sign Lee that is good for them. I think they can do it but it will be hard.

 I honestly don't know who will sign Cliff Lee, with him not making a decision, it is making people apprehensive. So if you want to know who re-signs him, you will have to stay tune and find out who gets him for a Holiday gift.