Free agent pitcher Cliff Lee would like to play in 2016. According to NBCsports.com, Lee hasn’t pitched since the end of July 2014 due to a torn flexor tendon in his left elbow. He sat out last year. Should any teams really take a chance on him?
Lee pitched 13 years in Major League Baseball. He began his career in 2002 with Cleveland. That year he started two games and was 0-1 with a 1.74 ERA. In 2008 Lee had his best season with the Indians going 22-3 with an ERA of 2.54 with 170 strikeouts. This earned him his only Cy Young award. He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at the trade deadline in 2009.
He wouldn’t stay in Philadelphia for long. The Phillies traded him to the Seattle Mariners on Dec 17, 2009. He pitched only 13 games in a Mariners uniform going 8-3 with an ERA of 2.34 and 89 strikeouts. The Mariners dealt him to Texas on July 10, 2010. Lee spent the rest of the 2010 season with Texas.
In the offseason of 2011 Lee came back to Philadelphia pitching three more seasons. Lee’s career record is 143-91 with an era of 3.52 and 1,824 strikeouts. He has been a respectable pitcher when he is healthy. Cliff Lee wants to make a Major League Baseball comeback. The problem is he wants the right fit. The Miami Marlins are a team who have been interested in him.
Sure Lee has been a pitcher who has been able to win games in Major League Baseball. The difficulty is, can he still do it at a high level. He hasn’t pitched in a year. Lee wants a guaranteed agreement in Major League Baseball but he must prove he is healthy, otherwise clubs might only give him a Minor League contract. The other option for him is to sit out yet another year. It won’t hurt him in the pocketbook.
What do you think of Cliff Lee trying for a Major League Baseball comeback?
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