Ok, so I'll just go ahead and eat my words from yesterday. Right before it actually becomes official that the Phillies are definitely in on Lee, I post that there are sources saying that the Phillies could be a mystery team but that I still think Lee would sign with the Rangers. Uh yeah, I got that one wrong. Lee is headed to Philly for a lot less money than he would have received if he went to the Yankees. Yeah, the guy is still going to get paid over $100 million dollars, but the roughly $30 million he left on the table is still on a ton of money to say no to. Now, Lee is happy, the Phillies are happy and the rest of the National League is in panic mode. The Phillies rotation now includes Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and a 5th pitcher to be decided later (they could stick Jamie Moyer in there, at age 48, a day after undergoing Tommy John surgery and still win the NL East). The last time a rotation was this good has to be the Atlanta Braves rotation in the mid-1990s that included three future Hall of Famers: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. The Phillies probably don't have three future HOF's, but the four aces they do have are all basically in the prime's of their careers. Yeah, the Phillies lost Jayson Werth, who was an integral part of their lineup last season. Yeah, Ryan Howard wasn't quite as productive last season, Chase Utley was banged up, Jimmy Rollins has been in a two year slump and Shane Victorino's batting average dropped over 30 points. I honestly don't care. Barring a disaster, the Phillies will win the National League next season. I know it's only December, but I'll stick with that prediction until next October.
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