MLB Free Agency: Why Cliff Lee Deserves Halladay’s Contract, Not Sabathia's
In this year's rather modest free agent market, two names stick out; Carl Crawford of the Rays, and Cliff Lee of the Rangers. Lee in particular is the gem of the starting pitcher class, a one-time Cy Young winner, and a key piece of two straight World Series appearances.
Only three years ago, Lee was a hot and cold pitcher, who had some great years, but also had bad years. Since then, he has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the game, complete with multiple complete games and very few walks. Likewise, it took Roy Halladay a few years to get going, but now he's perhaps the best pitcher in the league.
Cliff Lee's contract is expected to be very expensive for either the Yankees or the Rangers over the next few years. Is it justified giving Lee perhaps 20 million a year, given how long it took him to get going, or given his struggles in Texas? Absolutely. Here's why:
Finesse
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Yes, Lee can rack up a lot of strikeouts, but at the heart of his game, he's a finesse pitcher. This is great for contract talks, because his arm is a lot less likely to tire out the same way a power pitcher's would, and as his age and speed start to go late in his deal, he'll still be able to win games.
Peak
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A pitcher's peak happens relatively late compared to other athletes; they may flame out at 25, or they could just be getting good at 30. Lee falls into the latter. This is not uncommon, and the track record for pitchers facing that is actually very good. Curt Schilling wasn't a great pitcher until he hit 30, and I'll take the 35-year old Kevin Brown over the 25-year old version.
He Has Many Years Left
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Going off the first two reasons, Lee has thrown 1409 career innings so far. This is about what Schilling and Brown had when they hit their peak, and they went on to top 200 wins and throw well over 3,000 innings. As such, the length of the contract will definitely not be a problem, both history and his ability show he has a long time left.
Postseason Ability
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Now that I've justified the length, let's look at the money. It's one thing to be an amazing pitcher over a 162-game season. It's another to put everything you have in, at most, 19 games.
With the exception of the past World Series against the Giants, Lee has been amazing. To go 7-2 on your first two postseasons with an ERA just over 2.00 is very impressive no matter how you slice it.
That kind of game, keeping the nerves calm, taking control... that's not something you can teach.
Low Walk Totals
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When you see how Lee has pitched, one thing that shows is that he doesn't walk batters. He has such good control that he can throw anything and keep the hitters guessing. He is able to win games the same way Greg Maddux and Christy Mathewson did for so many years; don't walk them and keep them guessing.
Having such low walk totals shows that, beyond having great pitching control, he also knows how to get hitters to hit bad pitches, something a power pitcher might try to solve with a bit more mustard.
Attitude
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Lee is not an outlandish person with a bravado attitude. In reality, he's a calm person, even a bit timid and humble at times off the mound. He shows his energy and personality on the diamond, against the batters he faces.
Those pitchers are the ones that are going to get you the wins and rings.
Refusal to Lose Games
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With the exception of his time with the Rangers so far, most of Lee's career was defined by him not losing games.
In 2004, he had an ERA of 5.43. His record? 14-8. In his Cy Young season of 2008, he only lost three games. Even in Seattle, when Felix et al just could not get any wins to help themselves out, Lee finished his time there 8-3 with an ERA not that much better than his teammates, namely Felix and Jason Vargas.
So what does this mean? In short, Lee is able to keep teams in games even when he's struggling.
He's Due
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I'm not exactly a proponent of shelling out as much money as possible for a player, but let's face it, Lee has earned it. Halladay got his money after a few great seasons, as did CC Sabathia and others. Now it's Lee's turn. He's been a bargain the past few years, having only made $4 million when he won the Cy in 2008, and he has the potential to win more.
