Phillies Today: Your comments: Cliff Lee turns down Yankees, chooses Philadelphia Phillies

Published: Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 8:55 AM Updated: Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 9:47 AM

By NJ.com StaffThe Star-Ledger
Follow7Tweet

SharecloseDiggStumble UponFarkRedditShareEmailPrint

Noah K. Murray/The Star LedgerCliff Lee is going back to Philadelphia, where he spent half of the 2009 season and pitched in the World Series for the Phillies against the Yankees.

When the Yankees want a top free agent, they often get him. This time, however, Cliff Lee decided to take less money and fewer years to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies.

It was a shocking development late Monday night, leaving the Yankees and their fans disappointed that they didn't land one of baseball's top pitchers.

Some NJ.com Yankees fans were angry, while others actually weren't that upset.

NJ.com user beavis617 wrote:

Ha, that's great. Not only has he proved again how much he wants nothing to do with being a Yankee, he took it a step further and strung them along while the rest of the top free agents were signed by other teams.

But NJ.com user gdendrinos1 wrote:

The Yankees are better off without him. The contract would have been for too long especially for a pitcher. I don't think he used the Yankees because he ended up signing for a shorter contract anyway. He probably couldn't handle the pressure in New York anyway. And why do people hate it so much that the Yankees use their money to try to get the best players? What should they do with the money? I never understood that thought process. It's probably because fans of other teams (especially the Mets) are jealous of the success the Yankees have had all throughout history. If they have the money, they should spend it to make the team better. So, good luck to the Phillies and Cliff Lee. We'll see just how well he pitches next season.

Disappointed or OK with Lee choosing the Phillies over the Yankees? Go to the comments section of this Star-Ledger story and tell us what you think.

Related topics: phillies
Sponsored Links
Share this storyPrintEmailStory tools
More stories in New York YankeesPrevious story
Cliff Lee Watch, Day 4: Heading back to the PhilliesNext story
Cliff Lee's signing with Phillies leaves Yankees in tough positionCopyright 2012 NJ.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
7Comments FeedView: Oldest first | Newest first

guitarguy119December 14, 2010 at 9:09AMFollow

In the short term I'm dissapointed the Yankees did not sign Lee, but two years from now it will probably turn out to be better. Many aging stars are now on the Yankees. They need to get younger. I hope Peitet is signed for one more year. He is likely to get a better offer now that Lee is going to Philadelphia. Also I hope to see a trade for Zack Greinke or a decent young pitcher soon. As much as I am a Yankee fan it's good for baseball to have serious competition. The Mets now have to face Lee on a regular basis. If the Yankees couldn't sign him at least he went to the NL. Maybe this is also a lesson for the jerk that spit on Mrs. Lee. The way you treat people matters. Who would want a family member spat upon? Most Yankee fans have class, but a few that don't reflect poorly on the decent fans.