Not Everyone Has A Price

The baseball world was shocked to learn that the league’s most prized starting pitcher Cliff Lee had signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. The shock didn’t come from the fact that it’s the Phillies rather the mighty New York Yankees who offered Lee more money.

Lee signed a five year 120 million dollar deal with Philadelphia to join an already talent stacked pitching rotation. The Yankees offered six years and reportedly 154 million dollars and the all important chance to be a star in the media capital of the world. In the end Lee passed on the Yankees returning to the team that had him back in 2009 because of his love for the city and organization.

I want to win championships. this team gives me the best chance to do that.” said Lee during the press conference announcing his signing. Lee continues to stand with the baseball reasons for why he chose Philadelphia over New York by expressing the differences in leagues

“I prefer National League baseball over the American style of baseball, I like to hit. I like to face the other pitcher instead of the DH.”

The prestige and money making abilities have been a staple for the New York Yankees since their start in the league many years ago. The ability to lure top free agents by throwing large amounts of money and dreams of stardom have helped to shape the 27 championship teams. The George Steinbrenner would go to great lengths in persuading payers to the big apple and very rarely was he left disappointed as is the case now with Lee.

The rumor that circled around the signing was regarding Lee’s wife who was said to have been spit on by Yankee fans during this year’s playoffs while Lee was with Texas. Lee quickly shot down those rumors in the press conference saying

“No one came up and spit on her. No one poured anything on her. That story was way overblown. It had zero to do with me coming here. It was a non-issue.”

The atmosphere of any city or organization can be a determining factor before any deal can be completed in business and this goes for beyond sports as well. Lee may say that he based his decision clearly on performing on the field but every factor had to be analyzed for him to make a multi year commitment. He has established the identity of not being persuaded by the bright lights and big city essentially branding himself as a private family oriented guy only thinking about the game of baseball. As good as that sounds it won’t make him the face of many advertisements or appear in big product commercials which means he left more than 34 million dollars in New York.