MLB Rumors: What Cliff Lee Signing with the Phillies Means for the Yankees

Though it’s old news by now, Cliff Lee has signed with the Phillies and will return to the franchise that shipped him to Seattle just last offseason.

Lee has stated since the signing that he never wanted to leave Philadelphia.

He won two World Series games for the Phillies in 2009 when they lost to the New York Yankees in six games, and then he was gone.

Now, after weeks of chatter about how New York needed to lock up Lee to ensure AL East dominance, the Yankees find themselves out of the running and looking to make a big move of their own this winter.

Perhaps even more surprising then who Lee signed with was the amount. Lee signed a five-year deal with the Phillies worth $120 million, thus proving to New York that money can’t buy happiness, or in this case Cliff Lee.

Lee also understands what is at stake for the Phillies franchise. They now have arguably one of baseball’s greatest pitching staffs of all time.

Going down the list, the Phils have Roy Oswalt, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Brad Lidge and now Lee. The Phillies will be the odds-on favorite to win it all next year as long as they can stay healthy.

For the Yankees however, it now becomes a question of whether or not they can get back to the World Series.

Just last week, the Red Sox made two huge free agent signings worth nearly $300 million that have gone unmatched so far by the Yankees.

Tampa Bay isn’t the same obviously, but Boston now has the bats to compete with New York’s pitching, and suddenly there is a sense of urgency in the Big Apple.

Lee’s signing could have been worse news for New York though. He could have went to Boston.

Patrick Clarke is a student at Towson University and a writing intern for Bleacher Report.