Lee to Texas, Part 2???

With yesterdays announcement that over the next six years Cole Hamels will make more coin for each start than I will make over the next 10 years (literally), there is a strong belief that some prized possesion is making its way to this weekend garage sale.  It could be Shane Victorino, but that would leave the Phils' outfied even thinner than it already is.  Placido Polanco? Well, the Orioles wanted him, but his back doesn't seem to a fan of the idea of relocating down 95.  Maybe Joe Blanton ... no, of course not - nobody wants Joe Blanton.  So who fits the Phils need for sacrificial lamb?  Who is high paid, locked up for multiple years, and has valxue to other teams?  Clifton Lee.

But I digress for a moment.  A few Cole Hamels stats.  No, not baseball stats.  For the following examples, I will use Mr. X as a contrast to Hamels.  Mr. X works hard everyday to make his $50,000 a year that he uses to pay his mortgage, feed his kids, and make an occational trip to Citizens Bank park.  Obviously this isn't the way the finances of the world work, but this is just for fun, so please now comments explaining tax brackets....

However, using a straight ratio (for Mr. X, $5 is 1/10,000th of his gross yearly salary.  1/10,000 of Cole's annual income... $2,400.) ... here's what it's like to make that type of scratch.....

ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL ...

- Cole can afford $2,400 for a coffee and breakfast sandwich
- "Yes, I'd like a number 1 combo ... for $2,400"
- On his average trip to the ACME, Hamels can afford to drop $24,000-$48,000
- According to how much it costs to fill my gas tank, Cole's new budget calls for a gas guzzler to the tune of $19,000 PER FILL-UP!!!
- Hamel's electric, cable, and cell phone bills should run him about $48,000 each
- Finally, my personal favorite.  How much should Cole leave in the "take a penny/leave a penny" tray? ............. 5 bucks

Back to Lee.  He can be moved.  His winless first half was more an oddity of statistics than indicative of his performance. He has eight winless starts of 6 or more innings pitched and 2 or less runs given up.  Recently he stinks, but in baseball, available quality left handed pitching is equivalent to finding a bag of money on your front door.  The issue:  he makes about a billion dollars.  So, if Lee goes to Texas, Mike Olt is not coming here unless the Phillies pay Lee's salary - and if that were the case ... he wouldn't be leaving.  So the Phillies have to decide whether they want quality returns, or salary relief.  For the Phillies, that's an easy decision.

Solution: Move Lee in the off season when everyone is a contender.  Send him to a team who misses out on signing the ace through free-agency.  Ride this roster out through October ... Go Phils!