Cliff Lee Unexpectedly Signs With the Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies had a hole open up in their lineup with the departure of Jayson Werth. On Monday, they decided to fill it with a career .132 hitter.

Cliff Lee has shocked just about everyone by agreeing to a deal with the Phillies, the team he helped lead to the 2009 World Series. The race for Lee's services had reportedly been between the Yankees and Rangers until a "mystery" team entered the fold. That team is no mystery anymore. Terms of the deal were not immediately available, but the total deal should be around $120 million.

Lee's fantasy stock should be helped over the next few years by pitching in the National League. in 2009, he made 12 starts with the Phillies en route to the postseason, posting a 7-4 record with 74 Ks and 10 BBs in 79.2 innings. He posted a 3.39 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.

After the season, the Phillies decided to roll with Roy Halladay, dealing for the Cy Young winner and trading Lee to the Mariners, who in turn traded the lefty with impeccable control to the Rangers, to help with their own postseason surge. Like in 2009, Lee's team came up short in the end. 

He'll now join Haladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels to make one of the most formidable rotations in recent memory. Not since the Atlanta Braves staffs of the '90s have you been able to find such a collection of talented arms on one team, and according to FanGraphs, this group may leave those Braves in the dust.

The acquisition does come with a hefty price tag. Owners of a payroll just under $100 million in 2008, the Phillies currently sport a projected payroll over $150 million with the Lee signing. The team will likely try to unload contracts in the coming weeks to make a little room in the budget for this big-ticket signing. Potential trade candidates include Joe Blanton (two years, $17 million remaining), Raul Ibanez (one year, $12.2 million remaining) and Brad Lidge (one year, $13 million including a 2012 buyout remaining). Ibanez does have a no-trade clause in his contract.

What should fantasy baseball owners expect from Lee in 2011? He remarkably took another step forward in 2010, walking just 18 batters on the season while striking out 185 guys for a K/BB over 10.0, nearly unheard of from a starting pitcher in the modern age. An above average Phillies lineup gives Lee a realistic shot at 20 wins. He and new teammate Halladay should be among the first few pitchers off the board in March, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the two Phillie pitchers routinely compete for the Cy Young award over the next few years.

By R.J. White,

http://fantasybaseball.fanhouse.com