Cliff Lee: 10 Reasons He'll Never Live Up To His New Big-Money Contract
Cliff Lee was just offered a seven-year contract by the New York Yankees. This comes on the heels of this morning's announcement that the Boston Red Sox had nabbed Carl Crawford.
So it seems it is good to be a fan of baseball in the East. It really is trying for us in the rest of the country. But my qualm is that the Yankees are throwing money down the tubes because Cliff Lee will never live up to his big contract.
How could anyone? No one can meet the standards of a contract that is surely to be more than their original $140 million offer.
Here are the reason why Cliff Lee is not worth the money.
10. Age
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This is the first thing on everyone's mind, so let's get it out of the way. Cliff Lee is 32 years old. By the last year of his contract, he will be 39. The fact is there is no way he will be the same pitcher he is now that he will be then.
This is the ending, hopefully, of the steroid era. Pitchers will not automatically get better with age. The Yankees and Rangers know that they are throwing their money away on the back of this one.
9. Not the Best
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The Yankees will be giving top dollar for the pitcher with the sixth-best ERA in the major leagues last year. As he travels to the American League East, that number will only get worse. Cliff Lee is a dominant pitcher, one of the best in baseball. But this is getting out of hand.
Every year another free agent gets a team to break the bank for him. It is all because he is the best free agent at the time.
8. The Yankees
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If Cliff Lee takes the Yankees contract, he will be accepting one of the biggest burdens available to MLB free agents. The Yankees are not just any team. The pinstripes wear very heavy. There is expectation, media and a very fine tuned microscope that follows your every mistake.
Not many players can survive in such an environment and thrive. Many players have come to the Bronx only to be spit out the other end. Cliff Lee has only spent half a season in the most similar market in Philadelphia. Who knows how he or his family will like life in Manhattan.
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7. Injury
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This has to be examined at some point. There is always the threat of a player succumbing to injury. There is no telling who is susceptible. The fact that Lee has been relatively healthy for the duration of his career means nothing.
This is the main point against giving any player a contract for seven years. You open yourself up for a Darren Dreifort or Mark Prior scenario. You do not want to be tied to a huge contract for a player who doesn't even suit up.
6. Younger Arms
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I know that the Yankees have an infinite supply of cash. But at some point they will have to monitor their spending. The millions that they spend this season may deter them from signing a young start-up pitcher in a year or two.
The fact that they are tied into Lee now could cause a ripple effect for years to come. What if he does go down in a heap of injuries? The Yankees will be forced to buy or trade talent to get help. They may have to trade away some of their younger arms that could surpass the aging ball player.
If you are the Rangers, you better hope this investment works out. You need to be sure that landing this one arm is better than landing three or four young ones.
5. Diminishing Returns
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The Yankees or Rangers may think they are getting the best pitcher in baseball now, but what happens a year or two from now when he starts to finally feel his age? You have just overpaid on a ball player by thee or so years. That is a $30 million hit.
At that point you could be getting a second-tier pitcher for $20 million a season. That is hardly the going rate for a pitcher taken off the scrap heap.
4. Fastball Pitcher
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Cliff Lee is a fastball pitcher. He consistently throws around 91 and four strikes. That fact has made his other pitches, change-up and knuckle curve, seem amazing. But as he ages, the velocity of his No. 1 pitch diminishes.
Giving him a long contract is saying that you have the confidence that he can change gears and become a Greg Maddux or Tom Glavine-like pitcher who deals with his location than he does with his heat.
3. The Big Stage
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If the Yankees are hoping to get a pitcher to dominate on the biggest stage in baseball, they may want to look elsewhere. Cliff Lee was not the lights -out hurler we all know him as in the Fall Classic. He was not even a good pitcher during the World Series.
If you are paying that kind of scratch, you want to be assured that your investment will get fulfilled. It is not enough to get to the World Series, especially for the Yankees. You have to win it. Lee was batted around by the San Francisco Giants for nine earned runs in two games. I think the Yankees are remembering the two-hit job Lee did on them in the ALCS. They should remember that they couldn't hit anyone that series.
2. Championships
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This is why anyone would pay out that much money. The team needs to feel that they are one pitcher away from winning the title. That means you are paying out over $140 million on a hunch.
There is no guarantee that you will get back to the postseason let alone in a position to win it all. If you don't, you are paying for a glorified pitcher to trot out every five days during the regular season. I don't think that is what the Yankees or Rangers have in mind when offering this length of a contract.
1. San Francisco Giants
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The Giants are proof positive that a small market team can win the big one. They did it with home-grown arms and timely hitting. Sort of how the Yankees won their first title of the modern dynasty.
The Yankees or Rangers are in danger of grossly overpaying for what they could get for much cheaper in hard work and scouting. But I guess it is much easier to throw money at the problem. Maybe I am hating because my team refuses to do so.
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