Mets among many in pursuit of 2009 Phillies fan favorite
Here in the Philadelphia area we are well aware of the impact Cliff Lee can have on a team. It was Lee who was acquired via trade last season after initial deals to bring Roy Halladay to the club fell through. He is a terrific talent as evidenced by a Cy Young Award on his shelf and a dominating October last season that carried the Phillies through the World Series. Lee was the best player in the 2009 World Series but he could only pitch in two games as the Phillies fell in six, winning both of Lee’s starts.
Cliff Lee, the most popular Phillies player to ever play just under half a season. AP photo.
After being traded to Seattle as part of the plan to still acquire Halladay Lee has been a victim of lack of run support. With the Mariners now 15 games out of first place in the AL West and 14 out of the AL Wild Card race there may be no bigger trade deadline acquisition this season than Lee.
Again.
One of the teams rumored to be a candidate to land Lee in the next month is a Phillies rival, the New York Mets. As much as this does not sit well with the Phillies fans, justified, the addition of Lee to the Mets would be a terrific move by them. Nobody would argue that. The Mets are currently in hot pursuit of the Atlanta Braves with a pitching staff led by Johan Santana and a bunch of players most people do not know. Mike Pelfrey leads the team in wins (10) and ERA (2.71) as the team’s second starter.
The Mets have the sixth best pitching staff in the major leagues right now with a collective 3.77 ERA. But imagine how their staff would look if they added Cliff Lee to the mix? this season Lee is 6-3 with a 2.39 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP and 76 strike outs. Remember, Lee did not start the regular season on Opening Day, recovering form an injury. He has already pitched four complete games for the Mariners, something Halladay has done five times this season.
Adding Lee to any team makes them a playoff contender, but if history is any lesson it is that the Mets’ big pitching additions have yet to lead to a World Series.
Remember when the Mets signed Tom Glavine? What about Pedro Martinez?If you simplify an impact of a roster change to wins when discussing pitching you are looking at a very small piece of the puzzle. However, the end result is simple.
The Mets did get better after the addition of Glavine and when the team added Martinez to the mix the Mets saw their highest win total since 1999, but this time there would be no trip to the World Series for the Metropolitans.
Comparing Mets win totals with Tom Glavine, Pedro Martnez and Johan Santana
Glavine’s career came dwindling down to a finale as Phillies fans are well aware (2007 ring a bell?) and Martinez apeared to break down as it became clear that the Mets had taken a shot at reaching the World Series.
When the Mets acquired Johan Santana it was supposed to get the Mets over the hump form the disappointing end to the 2007 season. With Glavine, Martinez and Santana on the roster the Mets managed to increase theriw win total but we all know how that season ended up as well.
But this time it is different
When the Mets made the big splash with Glavine and Martinez they were bringing in established veterans with a Hall of Fame date to look forward to in the future. Those guys were nearing the end of their careers, though the Phillies took a gamble with Martinez last season. Lee may be in the prime of his career right now and we know how effective he is against the National League.
If the Mets get Lee it will be a significant blow to the Phillies, who if they can not stay healthy will have a tougher time climbing back to the top of the NL East. But it would be far from the end of the world as far as the NL East goes.
Original Story:
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