July 25: A Curse or a Blessing?

At the trade deadline in 2009, starting pitcher Cliff Lee was a part of a five player deal that sent him and outfielder Ben Francisco to the Philadelphia Phillies from the Cleveland Indians. Lee finished the season with a 7-4 record and a 3.39 ERA and helped the team to its second consecutive World Series appearance. He wasn't a slouch in the postseason either. With a cumulative ERA of 1.56 in five games pitched, he won four of his decisions with two complete games; one of which was in the World Series against the eventual champion Yankees.

On December 16, the Phillies traded their recently acquired ace to the Seattle Mariners in a nine player deal that landed them starting pitcher Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays. Suffice it to say, Lee was shocked when he heard the news. Arguments could be made that the Phillies would never have gotten as far into the playoffs as they did without Lee and here they were trading him away less than two months later.

Lee packed his bags and moved his family once again to a new city. What did he do for the Mariners? He only went 8-3 with two no decisions, held on to a 2.34 ERA and struck out 89 batters while only walking six. He did this all while Seattle flushed their season down the drain and sank to the bottom of the American League West. Then on July 9 the Mariners sent their ace to their division rivals; the Texas Rangers.

5,402 miles in 343 days. That may not seem like that big of a deal, but when you factor in a person's family, the stress of finding three new places to call home, moving belongings three times, and getting acquainted with three new cities, it becomes a "big deal."

You might be wondering why a player of Lee's caliber would be traded so frequently given his consistency to put up such good numbers during the regular season and prove to be a valuable commodity during the postseason. It's simple. A player that's as good as Cliff Lee at the ripe age of 31 and approaching free agency is a terrifying thought for any team employing the left-handed pitcher. 2010 marks the end of Lee's current contract which means that teams can bid on his services at the end of the season. A proven track record guarantees top dollar for those services and if a team isn't confident in being able to retain him beyond the expiration of his contract, trading him to a team that is willing to give up top prospects to acquire him makes the most sense for the good of the organization.

Today, starting pitcher Dan Haren was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It's not quite the same situation as Lee's because Haren is in the middle of a long-term contract but it got me thinking. Is it more of a curse than a blessing to have so much talent? A player with such ability will eventually get paid millions upon millions of dollars to flex that talent, but what kind of toll does that take on a person and his family?

Until Cliff Lee can sign that contract and include a no-trade clause, he is at the mercy of whatever current club he's with. On one hand, the chances of him being traded to a contending club are pretty high. More times than not, a team at the bottom of its division won't trade away the farm system to acquire a pitcher they'll more than likely lose at the end of the season. A team that feels it's one piece away from having a championship club will gamble a few of its prospects in the hope of winning now. The Mariners knew they were out of contention so they sent Lee to Texas for some pieces that might help them win in the future. Instead of pitching in meaningless games, Lee is instantly a part of a team making a run for the postseason.

Hundreds of millions of dollars to have to move the family across the country multiple times within a short period. Cliff Lee will get the contract this offseason and he'll move his family once more; until, that is, the twilight of his career when a team is desperate for pitching. Is having the talent to make teams drool with dreams of pennants and trophies a curse or a blessing? I wish I could tell you.