What will Braves do now that Phillies have Lee?
Cliff Lee has reportedly opted to rejoin the Phillies. (Matt Slocum, AP)
Free-agent left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee has reportedly spurned the offerings of the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers and opted to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies – the team that traded him away to land Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay.
A fourth-round draft pick in 2000, Lee is 102-61 with a 3.85 ERA in nine major league seasons. He has excelled in the postseason, going 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA for Philadelphia and Texas in the past two years, including 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA against the Yankees.
According to the Associated Press, Lee has accepted the Phillies’ preliminary offer of a $100 million, five-year contract.
Lee passed up an extra $50 million from the New York Yankees to join a rotation that includes Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt.
How does that stack up against Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens?
The deal clearly makes Philadelphia the favorites to win the N.L. East and the World Series. How should the Braves counter this move? With who? For how much?
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192 comments Add your comment
jasont13
December 14th, 2010
9:22 am
PMC-Ryan Howard may have a hole in his swing but its very unfortunate the Braces pitchers can not seem to find it. You mention let the Phillies win the division and Braves the wild card and then go win the world series. Hell that happened last year and you saw the results. Oh and if the Braves were healthy. They couldn’t hit down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Jt
December 14th, 2010
9:23 am
Adding a frontline pitcher is not a proper response. The only response would be to add another right handed bat and that cannot happen outside of adding a centerfielder. Lefties at 1st, catcher, rightfield and center. The only possible opening is in center and that probably is not going to happen. Maybe another righthanded hitter on the bench. Nothing else needs to be done. They need for Chipper to be healthy and for Prado to have another season like 2010. They need Heyward to improve and for the rookie at first to have at least a Heyward-type first year. The question is in center.
Another bat and LH starter.
December 14th, 2010
9:24 am
The Braves need another big bat to help counter the move. Uggla will help against Hamels and Lee, but I am not sure we have done anything to combat Halladay and Oswalt. Good pitching beats good hitting, but I am not sure there is a shut down LH available to match up with the likes of Howard and Uttley. It sucks having cheap ownership!
Really?
December 14th, 2010
9:24 am
jasont13 – How can you say they aren’t great moves? They haven’t even played one game yet. You sir are a Tard!
space monkey
December 14th, 2010
9:32 am
Speed. That’s really where the Braves lack. Rollins and Victorino are the Phils’ real weapons.
jasont13
December 14th, 2010
9:33 am
I asked you to name the moves. You still can’t. How can you say they are great moves when they haven’t played a game yet. Your sir are the true retard.
Justwanna win
December 14th, 2010
9:34 am
Sign Bill Hall..he can do it all plus hit……Trade for.J Upton..when the heavy part of his contract comes around Chipper will be gone….Plus both Hall & Upton are Insurance for Chipper hurt and Prado staying in LF and security for 7 positions.
Trade for Grenike ? I like who we got.
Its your move Mr Wren…make the most of it..Do the Braves really wish to win?
We need rh hitters..
Huh?
December 14th, 2010
9:34 am
Did some dude say golf was a watchable sport? Where does my fair city find these people? If golf is so great then sit on your sectional couch in your basement in Alphrettamine while real fans revel in the joy of America’s Pastime.
Justwanna win
December 14th, 2010
9:38 am
Oh, Upton speed….something we need bad……..
crob
December 14th, 2010
9:38 am
justin 1, how do you think Greinke is such a great move. He’s only had one winning season. he averages 1 walk per 4.5 innings and a hit every inning. There’s no way i trade JJ for him. You just cant get excited. Thats why they play the game. Whats on paper is not the outcome.
K.C. Frenchy
December 14th, 2010
9:38 am
With Texas still desparate for pitching, how about we trade JJ & throw in someone else for Nelson Cruz, we need to add another RH bat in the outfield that can play either LF or CF for WHEN not if Chipper goes down, right now we have hige holes in CF & 3B, McOut & Chipper is a bad plan, that would leave us with Huddy, Lowe, Hanson, & Minor with Medlen coming back after the break, what do you Bravo fans think???
lexbrave
December 14th, 2010
9:40 am
i rarely wish ill intentions on anyone, but i truly hope spending all of this money backfires on the phillies.
Justwanna win
December 14th, 2010
9:40 am
Cruz not going anywhere………
PMC
December 14th, 2010
9:40 am
Guys, I wanted Carl Crawford. The ownership doesn’t. The Braves Ownership doesn’t care about winning and we have a stadium that is 15,000 seats too large. What are you gonna do?
The best course of action right now is being pursued by the Braves.
They can’t afford front line free agents, they have to build through the minors, they’ve been on that course for a while now.
It will be ok.
William C Smith
December 14th, 2010
9:41 am
Baseball is now becoming a small elite group of teams that spend there way to championships. When a small market team wins they speak of balance, but then they buy the stars of the small market team. As for the Braves. They can make moves to stay competitive, but in the long run can not spend enough to become a champion. It is ironic that this process of buying championships was begun by Ted Turner an the Braves.
GaryinBham
December 14th, 2010
9:42 am
And what move can we make for the little that is left? I actually think the offense is going to be decent. Jason is one year better, Prado back, and Uggla. Maybe Gonzo will hit some of those HRs for us. Pitching-wise, it’s the Phils hands down with starters. But I think the loss of Werth is bigger than they say, and I think at this point, the offense isn’t as good. Our starters are good, except for that 5th spot. I’m not sure Beachy/Minor is the answer for the year. Help is coming, but do you trade incredible prospects or do the best you can with what you have? We can compete. That pitching is murder to face, no doubt. On the other hand,Halliday is 34 in May, Oswalt will be 34 in August. Blanton is likely gone to clear salary/get an OF. Lee is 32. Those three have logged a ton of innings. Maybe they all hold up without injuries, maybe not. It’s a lot of dough for a few guys. But there’s only one stat that matters–Ws. They are way better than everybody on paper. We’ll see how it goes. If they win the WS it won’t be a surprise. But a lot of people said that would happen last year.
gadawgs
December 14th, 2010
9:42 am
There was a time that we had this type of rotation and I remember losing to teams with less. It’s not over before it starts people..
PMC
December 14th, 2010
9:43 am
Look at the Braves bullpen and the young guys they have that can throw in the minors.
Let’s not panic. JJ should bounce back this year.
There is no reason to not be confident going into this season when they have added power to the offense finally in Dan Uggla.
jasont13
December 14th, 2010
9:43 am
Really?- Heres your great moves. Sherill- 2-2 6.69 era, gave up more hits than innings pitched and also almost as many walks as strikeouts (24BB vs. 25K) Linebrink-3-2 4.40 era same as Sherill gave up more hits than innings pitched but he did have better strikeout to walk ratio. Then you get into Uggla. Yes he will hit 25+ home runs but will also strike 130+ times. It will be a great move ONLY if Wren signs Uggla to a long term deal.
If your adding signing Wilkin Castillo, Shawn Bowman and others a part of all these great deals Frank Wren made this off season then your an idiot.
Justwanna win
December 14th, 2010
9:45 am
They can afford Hall………….he is not a crawford 7 yr 140 million .. They can afford to trade for Upton. Those two would make 10 -15 game difference in team..are more
jasont13
December 14th, 2010
9:46 am
I don’t think the Phils loosing Werth was that big of a deal they had Dominic Brown waiting at Triple-A. He is the real deal. I truly do not understand why Wren doesn’t go after BJ Upton. He would be a solid leadoff hitter with speed and plays better defense than McClouth.
O-Me
December 14th, 2010
9:48 am
Men you have forgot…WE GOT SCHAFER?
jasont13
December 14th, 2010
9:49 am
It’s interesting how Nate McClouth’s numbers have diminished since he was traded to the Braves. He stole more bases in Pittsburgh and was caught stealing more times in two seasons with the Braves than his entire 4 seasons with Pittsburgh ( 8 times in 2 seasons with the Braves and 5 with Pittsburgh).
justwanna win
December 14th, 2010
9:49 am
jasont13, I’d take either Upton.
bwell
December 14th, 2010
9:49 am
Get another power hitter plus another hitter with consistency or the ability to get on base, resign Jurrjens and pray that the owners know this and are willing to shell out the money to compete! I hate Ted Turner sold his soul to the devil. (Time Warner)
Bob Horner had a big fro
December 14th, 2010
9:50 am
No bigger Braves fan than me, but let’s face it: the Braves did so well in the division because the Phillies had incredible injury issues last year. Odds are, they won’t again in 2011, and they are going to win the division running away. I hope I am wrong, but they have a Yankees / Red Sox type lineup with the pitching of the 90’s Braves on top of that. Scary. With that said, we can still make it to the playoffs and hope for some luck. Unlikely Wren can sign a big name CF at the same time he is working to lock in Uggla, BUT if we could trade up in CF or use Chippers money at third, it would help.
CBW
December 14th, 2010
9:52 am
The sad truth is that as long as the Braves have the payroll they’ve got, they won’t be able to compete with the Phillies, the Red Sox or the Yankees.
BravesFan
December 14th, 2010
9:53 am
Did the Phillies win the World Series this year? I don’t think so. The Phillies also have lost Werth which was a big part of their team last year. The Braves pitching is fine, what we need is another bat. Someone that would compliment Heyward (Jones if he returns), Prado and Ugla. Freeman being a rookie can’t expect to have a .300 BA next year. We need to trade for somone, anyone that could hit 20 hr, drive in 80 and bat 265 or above. Centerfield is our issue.
BravesFan
December 14th, 2010
9:54 am
Bob Horner,
I would say the Braves would have won the division last year if Prado, Chipper, Medlen had not gone down.
BeerDawg
December 14th, 2010
9:54 am
A little perspective. What are the odds of Lee, Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt all going thru the season without injuries??
Oswalt, while clearly still good, is on the downside of his career.
B/C of the obscene amounts of money spent of Halladay and Lee, they did not resign Werth and rumors abound about a Mondesi trade.
FW: don’t panic!!!
justwanna win
December 14th, 2010
9:55 am
You right its a lost cause as long as Liberty own the Braves. less just quit….Hell NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Eric
December 14th, 2010
9:56 am
why would redsox help out phillies by trying to acquire Joe Blanton?
bvillebaron
December 14th, 2010
9:56 am
Since pitching wins, the only way to counter the Phils’ move is to acquire another front line starter. The best is Greinke given his contract, age (just turned 27), stuff (once listened to a game when he threw a 96 mph fastball, followed by a 65 mph changeup and a 85 mph breaking pitch). I like Jurrjens too, but he doesn’t have Greinke’s stuff (for those who claim Greinke only had one great season, he did and his combined ERA the last three seasons in the AL is 3.24; besides how many great years has Jurrjens had?). Unlike Jurrjens, Greinke is not represented by Boras.
If you want to keep Jurrjens, trade Delgado, Viscaino, Beachy or, if necesary, Minor to get Greinke.
lexbrave
December 14th, 2010
9:57 am
i’m pretty sure the phils are spending more money on their rotation than the braves are on their entire team right now.
it’s becoming harder each year to love baseball as much as i do. for the first offseason i can remember that i’m not even excited for the season to start. and that’s after 20+ years of thinking opening day was the best day of my year.
NY BRAVES FAN
December 14th, 2010
10:00 am
You can not trade jurjjens to get Greinke, that is not so much an upgrade. An upgrade is keeping Hudson, Hansen, Lowe, and JJ and adding Greinke as our ace.
I don’t even know if we need Greinke , I would not do anything until we play some baseball. Let’s see if Chipper is healthy, how much better Jay -Hey is, how good Freeman is. If we play good ball we get someone in June. No point in gutting the system now.
Braves Fan No More
December 14th, 2010
10:00 am
They should all just quit, just give up now, for there is no hope of beating that rotation.
Braves Fan No More
December 14th, 2010
10:01 am
Well you asked. That’s what I really believe.
ppaddy123
December 14th, 2010
10:02 am
If MLB doesn’t implement a salary cap, the sport we all grew up with will not continue. Everyday, more and more fans gripe about the big market teams signing all the good players. Meanwhile, the small market teams are signing guys to play everyday that aren’t everyday players anymore (KC: Frenchy, Blanco, & Melky) Imagine being a Royals season ticket holder and getting excited about their team. And for all the people preaching about needing a league minimum payroll….that’s absurd! A salary cap evens the playing field. It forces teams to pick and choose players that not only help their team but fit their budget. No more buying championships (1997 Marlins & 2009 Yankees). I don’t think anyone would argue the Yankees of the 90’s were a great ball club. Most of their key players were home grown. The Braves teams of the 90’s were the same with the exception of Maddux and McGriff, for the most part. As it stands now, teams with money to spend, spend it freely. Everyone else makes due with what they’ve got. How is that fair? Who wants to see a professional product with the label, “it’s the best we could afford?”
Joey
December 14th, 2010
10:02 am
Recession? What recession?
ga gator
December 14th, 2010
10:04 am
This makes letting one of the better righthanded hitters against lefties even a dumber move.
ga gator
December 14th, 2010
10:04 am
Meaning Matt Diaz of course.
ryan
December 14th, 2010
10:05 am
I am done with MLB these guys are getting paid to much money and half of them don’t deserve it screw baseball .
Frenchy
December 14th, 2010
10:06 am
Man oh man, how did I ever end up here in KC? Oh, that’s right, I’m an uncoachable prima donna, who can’t hit his weight. Dang.
>Frank Wren
December 14th, 2010
10:06 am
Braves must do something…I say work a JJ+prospects for Grienke and then go hard after Brett Gardner, who is available for a package of McLouth/Delgado/prospects.
Hudson
Hanson
Grienke
Lowe
Minor
Gardner
Prado
Heyward
Uggla
McCann
Jones
Freeman
Gonzalez
Dan
December 14th, 2010
10:06 am
Well realistically the Phils already had the best starting pitching anyway before this deal. So when it comes play-off time does it really matter. In the end this might help the Braves because now the Yankees and the Rangers need pitching and maybe we can unload salaries like Lowe and Kawakami and get players or prospects in return.
Better on Paper
December 14th, 2010
10:07 am
Remember all the years when our staff was loaded with the likes of Maddux, Glavine , and Smoltz? What did it get us? One WS title…the bottom line is the Phils staff is better than the Braves but you still gotta’ lace ‘em up and play the games. Anything is possible as we know all too well.
Chris
December 14th, 2010
10:07 am
Clifton Phifer Lee = LeBron James
I hate the Philadelphia Phankees.
Johnny Fever
December 14th, 2010
10:08 am
PMC
December 14th, 2010
9:40 am
Guys, I wanted Carl Crawford. The ownership doesn’t. The Braves Ownership doesn’t care about winning and we have a stadium that is 15,000 seats too large. What are you gonna do?
The best course of action right now is being pursued by the Braves.
They can’t afford front line free agents, they have to build through the minors, they’ve been on that course for a while now.
It will be ok.
THe braves could put a movie on the jumbotron for the 15000 empty seats.
Roja
December 14th, 2010
10:09 am
Let me know when Cliff Lee has a World Series ring, then I’ll worry.
Braves Fan No More
December 14th, 2010
10:10 am
Thank you Chris for saying something that we can all agree upon: “I hate the Philadelphia Phillies!” Only I would add, “And their fans.”