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Late Monday night, this offseason’s most coveted free agent pitcher made a surprise choice: Cliff Lee rejected the Yankees and Rangers to head back to Philadelphia and join a Phillies team that traded him away the previous offseason. Lee’s new contract will pay him $120 million over five years, and he can stay for a sixth at $27.5 million or take a $12.5 million buyout.

The Phillies may have been desperate to undo last year’s mistake of trading Lee for overrated sack of crap Roy Halladay, but Lee showed in this year’s World Series that he’s no guarantee of postseason perfection, losing twice to Tim Lincecum and the Giants. I’ve already seen comparisons of the Phillies top four pitchers — Lee, Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels — to the Braves starting pitchers of the 90s, but I’m not buying into the hype.

All four of those guys lost to the Giants. Lee’s never won a World Series. Halladay’s never even gotten to a World Series, and is a mediocre 2-1 in his postseason career. Oswalt made it to one World Series, where his Astros got swept. Hamels won a World Series, but it doesn’t really count because the Phillies mainly did it with the help of a doped-up relief pitcher who failed two drug tests during the season and should have been suspended.

The Phillies four also are quickly getting close to Jamie Moyer age. Hamels is the only youngster at 26. Oswalt’s 33, Halladay and Lee are both 32. It’s a good bet at least one of those old guys will spend a long time on the disabled list next season. The World Champion Giants have four pitchers, all 28 or younger, all who have shown they have what it takes to win it all. Lee joins a better surrounding cast than he would have in the Bronx or if he’d stayed put in Texas, but they’re not better than Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Jonathan Sanchez.