With their H2O pitching staff already intact, there was little reason to believe that the Philadelphia Phillies who were already among the favorites to win the NL Pennant in 2011, were the “mystery team” that was competing for Cliff Lee against the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.

Opting to accept a deal from his former team that included less money and years, Lee accepted the Phillies contract offer and surprised the baseball world; turning down a ton more cash that the Yankees threw at him.

After leading the Rangers to the World Series last year, everyone assumed they were the favorite if Lee wasn’t all about the money. Instead, he headed back to where he played in his first World Series, the City of Brotherly Love.

Lee is said to have turned down about $34 million Yankee dollars to return to Philadelphia and with his dominating postseason arm the Phillies should be the favorites to win the World Series this coming season.

The Phillies now have a pitching staff that is the best in baseball since the mid-1990’s Atlanta Braves teams that featured Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. The addition of Lee should more than make up for the loss of Jayson Werth in free agency.

The foursome looks incredibly scary come playoff time, since no other team will be able to go as deep. Cole Hamels has fared the worst of any pitcher in the group during the postseason, with a 3.45 ERA.

One downside to the signing is that Lee still has a long term deal including a vesting option for a sixth year and he is already 32 years old. Halladay and Oswalt are both 33, so there is a chance the group could begin to decline over the next few years. Also with Halladay and Lee having injury issues in the past, there isn’t a guarantee that they can stay healthy.

In a short series, any team can win, so the Phillies aren’t a stone cold lock to win the World Series in 2011, unless of course MLB goes to the extended series and increases every playoff series to a 7-game series. Either way, with the addition of Cliff Lee they are strong favorite to bring the World Series trophy back after a two year hiatus.

Used with permission of the author.

Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

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