Even Cliff Lee Can't Do it on His Own
Christian Rivera is a freelance writer and graphic designer for myphl17. Follow him on twitter @rivaldesign
As the Phillies having Roy Halladay proves, having a stud pitcher doesn't instantly mean wins. Halladay in 8-6 so far this year when many fans feel he should be 11-3. The Phillies' infamous May slump kept his victory total lower than expected, but that's something that can happen to any team in Major League Baseball — namely, the Mets.
Cliff Lee suffered from some losses after the All-Star break last year while with the Phillies, which means he isn't invincible. He's absolutely a solid pitcher and will bolster the Mets rotation, but we can't assume that the Mets are going to run away with the NL east solely based on his acquisition. If the Mets acquire Lee, we'll only face him potentially a few times for the rest of this year. He only pitches 1 out of every 5 days and a team can't win the division or the World Series on his shoulders alone. It will help the Mets to be more of a contender, but there are no guarantees in baseball.
As for the Phillies getting their hands on Lee?
We would have to move big pieces to get him and potentially risk the future development of the franchise. There's no one left in the farm system to trade and money alone can't do the trick due to many our regular players cashing huge paychecks. Ruben Amaro already expressed the fact that he was looking far more forward in the future than just this year. Acquiring Lee for just this year would not be conducive to this notion.
Could we see Cliff Lee back in a Phillies uniform before the trade deadline?
It's doubtful that Cliff Lee will want a short contract, especially with the Phillies — as he's expressed long-term interest over the off season. That may change due to the situation, but I still think it's unlikely. The only real course of action is to do some MLB cock-blocking and not have any teams that could harm us get a hold of him.
No matter the outcome, it's going to have a huge effect on any team and on the league.
Do you think Lee will get traded to the Mets? The Yankees? or is there a way for the Phillies to get him back?
Express your thoughts or strategy in the comments below.
