Cliff Lee: Return to Philadelphia Phillies Spells Trouble for Rest of MLB

So we finally know who won the two-team race between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees for Cliff Lee.

According to ESPN the winner is...the Philadelphia Phillies?

Suffice to say, that came out of left field.

The Phillies entered the Lee bidding at the last minute and apparently were convincing. 

Their offer of more than $100 million over five years was substantially less than the six years and $138 million offered by the Yankees.

So what are the repercussions of this surprise signing?

Ruben Amaro Jr.

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 16: General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. of the Philadelphia Phillies watches batting practice before the Phillies taking on the San Francisco Giants in Game One of the NLCS during the 2010 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October

The smartest general manager in baseball right now is Ruben Amaro Jr.

First, he let Jayson Werth sign a bloated long-term deal with another team.

Second, he signed a pitcher named Cliff Lee.

The Cliff Lee signing obviously does a lot more for his reputation. The Phillies pitching staff he has put together looks insane on paper. 

Between Lee and Roy Halladay, the Phillies may have the best left-handed pitcher and the best right-handed pitcher in the league.

Lee, Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO - OCTOBER 21: Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants in Game Five of the NLCS during the 2010 MLB Playoffs at AT&T Park on October 21, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (

This team already had three aces on their staff.

Now, they have a fourth.

There is no way the Phillies won't be favored to win the World Series by some crazy odds.

The highest ERA of the four pitchers last season was Lee's at 3.18, but he will likely be the highest paid of the four. 

Can you imagine having four pitchers on a staff who more than likely are going to hold the opponent to three or less runs per game?

Then consider your offense has Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins as its foundation.

This team will be favored to win 100-plus games.

What This Says about the Yankees and Rangers

Tim Boyles/Getty Images

TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 07: Shortstop Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees talks to the media during a press conference to announce his new contract with the club on December 7, 2010 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Tim Boyles/Getty Images)

How often is it that the Yankees lose out on an offseason's biggest free agent?

Rare at best.

Not only is this a victory for the Phillies, it's a victory for the city of Philadelphia.

In all likelihood, the Phillies didn't outbid either team, but they presented a better situation for Lee.

Lee liked Philadelphia. He liked the city. He liked the fans. He liked his teammates.

When Lee's wife traveled with him to New York as a member of the Rangers, she remarked how she didn't like how she was treated by the fans there.

Tell me that wasn't a factor. You have to know it was.

Lee's representation also remarked that they felt insulted by the way the Rangers handled their free agent by asking him to make the Rangers an offer other than the other way around.

An ace pitcher rarely just ditches a team he just went to the World Series with.

The Phillies must have handled this perfectly. Either that or the Yankees and Rangers just blew it.

In any scenario, the Phillies won this one, and they should now be the favorites to win the World Series in 2011.