Cliff Lee Back in Philly? Imagine the Possibilites
By: Mike Reisman
Earlier tonight, while browsing the internet, I found myself on the Phillies website, reading an
article by Todd Zolecki about how apparently, the Phillies now have a legitimate shot at Cliff Lee. Zolecki goes on to say that the Phillies put out less money than the Yankees or Rangers, but as Cliff has said, he would like to return to Philly. It also mentioned that the Phillies want to trade Joe Blanton if they add a player, namely Lee, and that they would even be willing to pay some of his salary. The report also added trades of Raul Ibanez and Kyle Kendrick could be done if a team wanted to trade for either. Of course, all of this is speculative.
First of all, I would like to say I would be shocked if Lee signed, seeing as it seems he would be giving up a very significant amount of money, especially after the ridiculous deals Werth and Carl Crawford signed. However, that being said, if the Phillies were to acquire Cliff, I honestly do not see how the Phillies could lose more than about 50 games. Think about it. The rotation (at least as I see it) would be as follows.
1. Roy Halladay
2. Cliff Lee
3. Cole Hamels
4. Roy Oswalt
5. Kyle Kendrick
Just numbers one and two are enough to make any team worried, but add Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt to the mix, and teams will dread having anything to do with the Phillies. Of course, Kyle Kendrick (assuming he doesn't get traded after) isn't quite scary, he's a solid 5th man, and even with him as the 5th, every team will have to face at least two of these four stud-like pitchers. Combine this with the Phillies bats, and you have a team that should be a heavy front-runner for the NL, and dare I say, the World Series. Of course, I still think of this as highly unlikely, but still, it's pretty incredible to think what may be. We may know whether this fantasy will be a reality soon, as there are hints of Lee deciding soon.