Lee lands extension from Tribe

When Cliff Lee was given a choice between the two, he took the security, signing a three-year, $14 million contract with the Indians with a club option for 2010.

The two sides had a basic agreement on the deal during the All-Star break but waited to announce it publicly until Tuesday, as the details regarding insurance and contract language were sorted out.

Lee admitted missing out on his three chances at arbitration -- the first of which would have come this winter -- was tempting.

"That's where players start getting what they're worth," he said. "I was two months away from that. I considered it, but the security of a three-year contract is nice to have. If I would have turned it down and then gotten in a car accident tomorrow, I would have been kicking myself."

To avoid kicking themselves if Lee is injured at any point during the length of the contract, the Indians took out insurance on the deal.

But general manager Mark Shapiro has reason to believe Lee will be just fine.

"Every pitcher's deal is more of a risk than a position player's deal," Shapiro said. "But this guy is not only blessed with a very athletic build, but he does everything possible to ensure he's going to stay healthy. In the level of risk, he's a lower-rung guy because of how he takes care of his body."

Lee's durability is emphasized by the fact that his next start Thursday against the Angels will be the 100th of his career. The majority of the previous 99 have gone his way.

The 27-year-old Lee, acquired by the Indians as a Minor League prospect in the June 2002 Bartolo Colon trade, owns a career record of 44-25 with a 4.47 ERA. His .638 career winning percentage ranks 12th among active pitchers with at least 40 victories.

Lee is the first to admit that 2006 hasn't exactly gone as well as he hoped. He had a strong April, rough May, outstanding June and so-so July, compiling a 9-8 record and 4.75 ERA along the way.

But he's made a team-high 23 starts and has won six of his last nine decisions since the beginning of June.

"I've gone out every time I'm handed the ball," Lee said. "For the most part, I've given the team a chance to win. The starts aren't the way I'd like them to be, but I've stayed healthy."

The Indians and Lee began conversations about a long-term deal during Spring Training, but an agreement could not be reached before Opening Day.

"Both sides had two different ideas of what was fair," Lee said.

Lee thought a fair deal would be of the three-year variety. The Indians only wanted to have two guaranteed years on the contract.

Just before the All-Star break, Shapiro asked Lee if he'd be willing to renew negotiations. Upon the pitcher's go-ahead, Lee's agent, Darek Braunecker, and assistant GM Chris Antonetti hammered out a deal in a matter of days.

Before the dotted line was signed, Lee, who will donate a portion of his contract each year to Cleveland Indians Charities, had to take a full physical.

"Looking at Cliff, the one thing most certain is that he takes the ball and competes," Shapiro said. "We believe he can win a lot of games and continue to get better. It gives us another player to plan around."

Lee is the sixth player locked into a long-term deal by the club in the last two years. Left-hander C.C. Sabathia, right-hander Jake Westbrook, designated hitter Travis Hafner, center fielder Grady Sizemore and shortstop Jhonny Peralta are the others. All told, the Indians have invested more than $103 million of guaranteed money into the six contracts.

"What it does is allow you to better build a team around those players, so you can plan," Shapiro said.