Cliff Lee sat out the entire 2015 season due to an ongoing elbow issue, and the Philadelphia Phillies shocked no one with their decision to decline a $27.5 million team option for 2016. Lee was at one point reportedly seeking $6-8 million (plus incentives) on a one-year deal from interested teams as well as a “perfect” situation, which automatically limited his market and made it unlikely he would sign anywhere unless something changed.
Now Lee’s agent, Darek Braunecker, has acknowledged that the 37-year-old left-hander won’t be pitching anytime soon.
Sounds like Cliff Lee’s career is over. His agent, Darek Braunecker, told me, “We don’t anticipate him playing at this point.”
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 23, 2016
Lee actually last pitched in July of 2014, when the elbow issues that sidelined him all of last season first surfaced. Barring something unforeseen, including a major rash of spring training pitcher injuries or a Roger Clemens-esque midseason signing, Lee’s career is surely over after 13 seasons.
The highlight of Lee’s career is a 2008 Cy Young Award season with the Cleveland Indians, when he went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA over 223.1 innings (31 starts) while also winning American League Comeback Player of the Year. Lee earned four All-Star selections (2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013) during his career, along with four other top-10 finishes in Cy Young voting (2005, 2010, 2011 and 2013).
Assuming he is done pitching, Lee will finish with a 143-91 record (.611 winning percentage) and a 3.52 ERA over 328 appearances (324 starts). By virtually any measure, Lee will go down as one of the best pitchers of his era, but his credentials don’t look nearly good enough to earn him induction into the Hall of Fame.
