Cliff Lee expected to retire

Longtime Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee's career may be over. Per Ken Rosenthal, Lee's agent, Darek Braunecker, does not "anticipate him playing at this point." It was previously thought that Lee would seek a one-year deal with a team to play in 2016, with half the league rumored to be interested.

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's promising career started slow for his first six seasons, but once he took off in his Cy Young Award-winning 2008 season, he never stopped being a dominant starter. He was worth 37.3 fWAR between 2008 and 2013. In 2014, what now looks like his final season as a player, he was worth 1.9 fWAR with a 3.65 ERA and 2.96 FIP while battling through a strained flexor tendon. That season ended after only 14 starts, and he missed the entire 2015 campaign with a shoulder injury last March.

At the beginning of the offseason, Jon Heyman noted that Lee was looking for a one-year deal. Further rumors stipulated that Lee wanted to be on a winning team for one last shot at a championship.