Cliff Lee is a really good pitcher. There is no doubt about that. But, there are a couple of roadblocks ahead for the Philadelphia Phillies. Just like the Mets of the past couple years, The Phillies are taking a shot for it all by overspending on virtually every old ace they can find. We all know what happens next right? The players get injured and the team underperforms.. I am not saying that will happen in 2011 for the Phillies, I'm just saying that they are setting themselves up to fail if one or two of those aces gets injured. Not to mention the ages, of the "Foursome".. Lets take a look..(32 yr old) Cliff Lee : 2011 Salary: 24 Million
(33 yr old) Roy Halladay: 2011 Salary: 20 Million
(33 yr old) Roy Oswalt: 2011 Salary: 16 Million
(26 yr old) Cole Hamels: 2011 Salary: 9.5 Million
(30 yr old) Joe Blanton: 2011 Salary: 8.5 Million
Since when can a Philedelphia team afford so much damn good pitching? Well, since they want to pay for older pitchers. Unless Lee, Halladay, and Oswalt age like Roger Clemons and Barry Bonds, These pitchers will be massively overpaid by the end of their respective contracts, with the exception of Cole Hamels. As, a Mets fan looking at this, its sweet to know that there are two silver linings.. by the time Sandy Alderson can transform the roster, The Phillies will be overloaded with payroll and the Mets CRUSH left-handed pitching.. take a look at Mets players last season stats vs. lefties...
David Wright : .339 AVG .412 OBP .654 SLG
Ike Davis: .295 AVG .362 OBP .443 SLG
Jose Reyes: .309 AVG .356 OBP .388 SLG
Carlos Beltran: .292 AVG .364 OBP .646 SLG
Ronny Paulino: .358 AVG .380 OBP .516 SLG
The above players are the ones who need to carry the load for the Mets when they go visit Philadelphia or when the Mets play the Phillies at Citi Field. I have complete confidence that these hitters will come through in the clutch as long as they are guided in the right direction by the brand new coaching staff and management.
