Philadelphia Phillies

The reacquisition of Cliff Lee this week was the latest in a series of moves the Philadelphia Phillies have made this offseason that brought former players back to the fold.

Ryne Sandberg, Juan Samuel, and Mickey Morandini, all retired players, have returned after long absences from the team.

BY: ANTHONY BARATTA

December 14^th, 2010

“Start spreading the news….

 I’m leaving today….

I want to be a part of it….

In old….??Philadelphia??”

“The stars at night…

Are big and bright…

Perhaps it's the beard.

He just didn't want to shave it on someone else's terms. Not even for all the extras the pinstripes were throwing at his wife...I mean him. Can you blame the guy?

Was Cliff Lee scared of New York? He says no, according to the New York Post. 

The New York Post quotes Lee: 

"There wasn't anything that scared me away from New York," 

Now that Cliff Lee has finally made his decision, spurning superior offers from both the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, we can move on.

Lee has joined a starting rotation that already includes last season's Cy Young winner, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.

The current National League Cy Young Award winner, former American League Cy Young Award winner and three-time 20-game winner. Two-time 20-game winner and a sixth-place finish in the 2010 National League Cy Young Award voting. 2008 National League Championship Series and 2008 World Series MVP. Add to that another former American League Cy Young Award winner with a 20-game win season under his belt, and you've assembled an impressive cast of starting pitchers (and a stocked trophy case.)

That's exactly what the Philadelphia Phillies have done.

Let me just start by saying that I do not want to be writing this article. 

It's no question that the best rotation in the MLB belongs to the Philadelphia Phillies.  They started this offseason with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.  Now, the Phillies have lured Cliff Lee into their rotation.  Does this give them one of the best rotations of all time?  Let's take a look at baseball's greatest rotations, and you can decide for yourself.

Begin Slideshow

Cliff Lee is officially a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. The papers have been signed and sealed. Now it’s up to Lee to deliver.

The organization is counting on him to do just that, to the tune of a cool $120 million.

Cliff Lee was officially introduced as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon in a press conference at Citizens Bank Park. 

Given the extreme interest in the pursuit of Lee, the offseason's most prized free agent, this comes as huge news to fans of the Phillies and Major League Baseball. 

With the way Lee's five-year, $100 million deal went down, there were plenty of things to learn in the official introduction of the star left hander.

Here's what we learned: 

Every season, the MLB Winter Meetings give rise to dozens of fascinating rumors about blockbuster trades or surprising free-agent signings. Some come to fruition, but the majority of them leave us wondering who on earth ever thought such a thing would actually happen.

Trade rumors sometimes spring fully formed from the heads of sportswriters. At other times, teams make cursory inquiries on players they have no real intention of acquiring, and writers misunderstand.