Indians’ Lee set for sequel to Cy Young

February 24, 2009 at 12:09a.m.

Both he and club management are talking about a long-term contract.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Stretched out on a chair in front of his locker, Cliff Lee delicately balanced a laptop computer on his thighs. Scratching his head, the AL’s reigning Cy Young Award winner plotted his next move in an online chess game before heading outside for another day of spring training.

Cleveland’s ace surveyed the virtual board pieces. Sacrifice a pawn? Attack the bishop? Defend the queen?

Lee was locked in — just as he was all last season.

The left-hander, demoted to the minor leagues a year earlier, came out of nowhere to have an historic 2008. Lee went 22-3, led the league in wins and ERA, became the Indians’ first 20-game winner since 1972, started the last All-Star game at Yankee Stadium and pitched with a single-minded purpose every time out.

“Unbelievable. I can’t even try to explain it,” said Indians catcher Kelly Shoppach, who was behind the plate for 29 of Lee’s 31 starts. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. You rarely see it for an inning and he was able to do it for an entire season. It was pretty impressive, to say the least.”

Lee spent the offseason collecting hardware for his efforts. He picked up awards from coast to coast and even had his high school jersey retired in his hometown of Benton, Ark., where they celebrated Cliff Lee Day.

The Indians would love a repeat performance from Lee, but the best they can realistically hope for is that he pitches like a No. 1 starter, a role the 30-year-old inherited when CC Sabathia was traded last July.

However, just as Lee is hitting his prime, he and the Indians could be headed for trouble. He’s entering the final season of a three-year, $14 million contract that will pay him $5.75 million this year. The team holds an $8 million option for 2010 — and odds are it will pick that up.

Cleveland was unable to work out a long-term deal after Sabathia won his Cy Young in 2007, and faced with the prospect of losing him to free agency after last season, the club had little choice but to deal him for prospects.

This would seem to be the ideal time to offer Lee a contract extension. But the Indians, who have worked on such deals during past springs, have not yet approached the pitcher or his agent, Darek Braunecker. That could change, but for now general manager Mark Shapiro’s only public stance is that Lee is in the team’s long-term plans.

“We believe in him and we’d like to have him here for a long period of time,” said Shapiro.

Lee would sign up for that.

“I want to be here,” he said. “So I’m all for whatever they want to do.”