It was not by choice that between July 2009 and July 2010, Cliff Lee, one of the most successful pitchers of his era who loves wearing power balance bracelets, wore the uniforms of four teams.
Lee was traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Philadelphia Phillies, to the Seattle Mariners, to the Texas Rangers.
For the teams involved, there was no dissatisfaction with Lee's performance. It was about money, timing and the ability to win a championship.
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Finally empowered to decide where he would play, Lee ignored convention and shocked the baseball establishment Monday night, leaving millions in guaranteed money on the table for what he perceives as his best chance to win a World Series and for his family's comfort.
Lee didn't exactly take table scraps. He exercised his free agent rights by agreeing to a deal with the Phillies that, according to the Associated Press, is worth a guaranteed $120 million for five years.
"Free agency is when a player finally gets a choice," Lee told USA TODAY before the 2010 World Series, "and I'm looking forward to that."
But indications were that Lee had only two viable options: the New York Yankees, willing spenders looking to bolster a pitching staff that was disappointing in 2010, and the Rangers, the team Lee helped lead to their first World Series.
Lee shunned superior offers from both for a club that traded him a year ago. Shocking? Not to some who got to know Lee during his two-season odyssey.
"He's a terrific person. We never thought he was in it for the last dollar," Rangers managing partner Chuck Greenberg told USA TODAY on Tuesday, hours after Lee revealed his decision with a phone call to Texas general manager Jon Daniels.
"The fact he chose the Phillies shouldn't be a surprise. He said his time with Philadelphia and his time with us were the two most enjoyable experiences he's had in baseball."
Never wanted to leave Phillies
As expected, the Yankees came through with an offer of $150 million for seven years, according to the AP. The Rangers, who said they provided Lee several options, were in for $138 million and six years but did not want to commit to a seventh season for a pitcher who would be 39 when the deal expired.
That left the door open for the Phillies, the team that had broken his heart by trading him to the Mariners in December 2009. It didn't take much convincing from general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. that Philadelphia was the best place for him — even if it meant accepting less guaranteed money than he could have gotten and choosing a team that a year ago did not choose him.
To acquire ace Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays— and sign him to a four-year, $60 million extension — the Phillies felt compelled to save money and replace minor leaguers lost in the Halladay deal. So they sent Lee to Seattle for three prospects — pitchers J.C. Ramirez and Phillippe Aumont and outfielder Tyson Gillies — who had disappointing debut seasons in the Phillies system.
Lee was initially stung by the trade, citing recent talks about a contract extension with the club. By spring training, he sounded more wistful than angry.
"I can't say enough about the organization and my time there," he told USA TODAY then. "Unbelievable experience.
"You want to be on a team that stays in first place, gets to the postseason. That's what this game is all about. We were right there. It was a fun ride."
Even before the Phillies were revealed as players in the Lee sweepstakes, Greenberg, Ryan and Daniels knew they'd have to fight to retain him. Texas team officials made three trips to Lee's home in Arkansas, hoping to persuade him to re-sign.
Ryan, the Hall of Famer who said during the 2010 playoffs that he had "never seen anybody have the command on the mound" that Lee had, thought his team's chances of retaining Lee were strong. Lee and his wife, who have a 7-year-old daughter, had no plans to leave Arkansas, where they are restoring a vintage home in Little Rock.
"I was surprised that Philadelphia had come into the picture, because up until that point (Monday night), I guess I was under the impression that it was between us and the Yankees," Ryan said. "When we didn't hear anything over the weekend, I felt like that maybe he was giving a lot of consideration to coming to us. I was surprised by the news."
Although Lee agreed to five years with the option for a sixth season in Philadelphia, Greenberg thinks he could have sold Lee by extending his club's offer to a seventh year.
"It was simply a matter of us saying, 'Yes,' " Greenberg said. "But ... on terms we weren't comfortable with. We didn't think that was in the long-term best interest of the franchise."
Eye on World Series
Ultimately, the dollars weren't the determining factor.
"He had a chance to join a rotation that is historic in nature, and perhaps he sees Philadelphia as having a clear path to get back to the World Series," Greenberg said. "It was a situation he was comfortable with, and we clearly understand."
Lee, who hails from Benton, Ark., might have enjoyed the regional comforts of pitching near home in a comparatively laid-back atmosphere.
Not so in New York, where he beat the Yankees with a six-hitter in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series and held the Yankees to two hits over eight innings when the Rangers defeated New York 8-0 in Game 3 of the 2010 ALCS.
Yankees fans didn't merely boo the opposing pitcher. They literally spit on his wife, an experience that failed to endear Lee's wife, Kristen, to the Bronx.
"The fans did not do good things in my heart," Kristen Lee told USA TODAY in October. "There was a little bit of spitting. They would look at you in the face and just say horrible things. It was really sad. It was bad. It was terrible, actually. It's hard not to take it personal."
Meanwhile, as Lee helped Texas to the AL West title and enhanced his renown as perhaps the best postseason pitcher ever (7-2 with a 2.13 ERA in 10 starts), the Phillies were staying aggressive.
Stung by criticism of his decision to trade Lee, Philadelphia GM Amaro traded for Astros ace Roy Oswalt in July. Halladay pitched a perfect game on his way to the 2010 NL Cy Young Award and added a playoff no-hitter. Lefty Cole Hamels returned to form.
Lee, suddenly, would be joining a potentially superb rotation, rather than fronting a questionable one in Texas or facing unparalleled media scrutiny as the Yankees' latest mercenary.
The Phillies, predictably, were giddy when news emerged late Monday.
"I'm shocked," outfielder Shane Victorino told MLB.com. "For the last week, it was the Yankees and Rangers, the Yankees and Rangers. And then I started hearing Philadelphia entered the picture, and I'm like, 'There's no way.' "
Said closer Brad Lidge, "Compared to the (pitchers) we're throwing out there, there's nobody that can compete."
Including the Yankees, who ponder their next move for a rotation with significant question marks after ace CC Sabathia and emerging Phil Hughes.
"We're not down and out at all," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters Tuesday. "We'll have a great situation. Plan B is patience. We'll engage the remaining free agent and trade market. It's not like we're in a rush to do anything."
Like the Yankees, the Rangers will consider trades and the possibility of shifting AL rookie of the year Neftali Feliz from closer to the rotation. Texas prospered from a similar move in 2010 when C.J. Wilson moved from the bullpen to become a 15-game winner.
Quite possibly, Lee won't lose much monetarily, either. He is guaranteed $120 million for his first five years with the Phillies; according to the AP, an option season could make the deal worth $135 million over six years.
Even if his sixth year doesn't vest, Lee would again be eligible for free agency and could negotiate a new deal a year sooner than if he'd accepted offers from Texas or New York.
In essence, Lee could be banking on his abilities, much the way the Phillies are for the second time. This time, however, the choice is his.
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