Cliff Lee Signs With Phillies

It was a foregone conclusion. The second the Rangers' season ended Cliff Lee would be offered a huge deal by the Yankees and the Evil Empire would claim another victim. Everyone knew it would happen. So why didn't it happen?

Cliff Lee spurned deals with the Yankees and the Rangers and settled on less money and fewer years with the Phillies. As a Rangers fan I am obviously disappointed in the fact that he won't be back with the team next year, but as a baseball fan I could not be happier. Isn't this what we have all been hoping for over the last decade? A player who will turn down the most money and play where he wants and where his family will be happy? Every single one of us (even a few Yankee fans I know) hate it that the Yanks can outbid everyone and sign whomever they want. It takes away from the fairness of the game.

Earlier in this process, before Lee made his decision, Hank Steinbrenner was quoted as saying, it would "behoove Cliff Lee to sign with the Yankees". Is that not the kind of pompous gloating we have come to despise? Yes it is and it looks like the players might be turning on the Yankees. Thy just don't seem to draw talent like they used to. Their fans are terrible, the media is brutal and the cost of living is astronomical. What makes New York better than any other baseball town? People will tell you it's the championships you can win. Oh, really? Last I checked the Yankees have spent billions of dollars on contracts over the last decade and have 1, count it again, 1 championship to show for it.

It seems to me that the Yankees may be losing some of their prestige with the young talent that is out there. So far this offseason, the biggest acquisition made by them was the signing of Russell Martin, a player who hit 5 homers drove in 26 rbi and hit .248 in 97 games this season. What are some of the names they missed out on? Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and apparently they have no shot at getting either Zack Greinke from Kansas City or Matt Garza from Tampa Bay. Is it time to panic in the Bronx? I don't know about that but it is definitely time to reevaluate things to try and make the Yankees a more prized destination.

As bad as this signing may be for the Yankees, it is equally good, if not better for the Phillies. Not only do they ad arguably the best left-hander in the game, he joins a staff that includes Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. The Phillies will be throwing a #1 caliber starter 4/5 of the time. If things go to plan and these pitchers pitch the way they are capable, this could be the greatest rotation of all time.

A bunch of people have been texting me and calling me to tell me how awful this is for the Rangers. I've got news for you, this is in some ways a good thing for the Rangers for two reasons. One, the contract that was offered to Lee was not a good contract for the future of this franchise. Any time you offer 6 years and $160 million to a player, no matter how good he may be, it is a bad contract. The second reason this is a good thing for the Rangers is like this. The Rangers showed that they can compete with the likes of the Yankees in the free-agent market. That means that no free-agent is out of reach, especially now since the Rangers are contenders. It also shows the John Daniels and the front office are willing to do whatever is in the best interest of the franchise to put a winning team on the field. When New York bumped up their deal to include a 7th yea, the Rangers didn't back down but rather they bumped up their own deal and were from then on considered the favorite over the Yankees to land Lee.

It's hard to see how this can possibly be a good thing for the Rangers or for baseball but trust me, anytime we can make a dent in the Yankees armor, it is a good thing. The Yankees couldn't compete with the Rangers on the field in the ALCS and they couldn't compete with the Rangers front office in the off-season.

The best news about Lee not signing with the Yankees? They Yankees are now in a panic and will overspend on players that worth nowhere near the money they will get. Remember, they just signed Derek Jeter to a new deal, they signed Mariano Riveria to a new deal, Jorge Posada's current deal and they still have A-Rod's gigantic monstrosity of a deal. Those contracts combined are worth $92.5 million dollars THIS YEAR alone. This year, the Yankees will be paying $93 million to four players that will not be on the team in 5 years. They can have all the money they want but it looks to me like they are wasting an awful lot of it.

Ranger fans, don't fret. The front office was preparing for this situation and I'm sure their plan B will be put into motion very shortly. Whether they go after Matt Garza or Zack Greinke is yet to be known but rest assured, the Rangers will continue to do everything that is necessary to field a championship caliber team.

One last thing, Cliff Lee....Thank you for the greatest Rangers season of my life.