http://www.realgmbaseball.com/src_w...706/report_twins_offer_two_prospects_for_lee/ Report: Twins Offer Two Prospects For Lee Jul 06, 2010 8:53 AM EST The Twins have reportedly offered two prospects to the Mariners for left-hander Cliff Lee. Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik declined comment on the report by FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher. Minnesota is believed to have offered prospects Aaron Hicks and Wilson Ramos up for Lee. Read more: http://www.realgmbaseball.com/src_w...ns_offer_two_prospects_for_lee/#ixzz0suyy2yvJ
That's why I've feared the Twins all along in this. They have the catching prospect that the Mariners are demanding as part of any Lee trade, and they have Mauer, who isn't going anywhere for a long time.
bj upton now being dangling from the rays http://www.realgmbaseball.com/src_wiretap_archives/20754/20100706/rays_could_deal_upton_for_lee/ Read more: http://www.realgmbaseball.com/src_w.../rays_could_deal_upton_for_lee/#ixzz0swcHdxYB
I don't follow what you wrote there. The yankees are the defending champs and have good starting pitching. why give up a good catcher prospect for a rental pitcher especially considering they have an old catcher? If cheatin' Pettitte retires in the fall, then the yanks should pursue lee at that time. Hold on to the minor league catchers and maybe one will pan out and take over for posada. If I was a yanks fan, I'd be pissed if they acquired lee this month. He is not necessary this year.
Depends on whether or not they see Montero sticking at the position. But really, I was just saying that the Yanks are in a similar position as the Twins with Cervelli, Montero, Romine, and Sanchez all lined up behind Posada. There's a chance some of them don't pan out, but 1B and DH are both likely blocked for the next decade or so. If you can trade one of those prospects now to acquire a(nother) front-line starter, you do it. And you'll still have a decent chance of having one of those prospects pan out for you. You're not going to have both Pettitte and Vazquez next year, and Cliff Lee should be better than either of them in any case. Hughes is on an innings limit this year. You could put him in the pen for August > October. He'd reach his cap while still helping the team in the area where they could most use it. So maybe Lee isn't "necessary", but he'd be nice to have. And it seems like they could do it without depleting the farm. In fact, catcher is the one position where they have an absurd amount of depth. I hope Cashman is at least considering it.
A 3-way trade would make more sense and if they parted with Vazquez. Lee to nyy, prospects to seattle, vazquez to an NL contender If I were Zduriencik I might ask for Hughes and Montero for Lee. If the yanks turned that down I'd go to plan B which would probably have to involve a 3rd team.
If the Yanks turned that down? Yeah, see, there's no way they're getting Hughes AND Montero for a two-month rental (from Seattle's point of view). And he knows that. If they wanted to do Nova or McAllister or Betances plus Montero plus another prospect, okay. But I doubt Lee would command an All-Star pitcher and one of the top prospects in the game even if he had a year and two months left on his deal.
I'm with Cappy. Trade Romine and a prospect. Hell, I'd even trade Montero for Lee. Do they need Lee? Depends on how you look at it. CC is a Cy Young candidate again. Burnett is an enigma and even referred to himself as a ".500 pitcher" the other day. Pettitte isn't getting younger. Vazquez is a rental. Hughes has an innings cap. If the Yankees bring in Lee, he's all but assuredly going to be re-signed by the Yankees in the winter. Beyond that, acquiring him removes him from potentially pitching for either the Rays or the Twins, either of which we could meet in the first round, and the Yankees have a tough time beating him. Facing him twice in a 3-win series is pretty daunting, especially if Price is the other guy we face. There is absolutely no reason not to acquire Lee for the Yankees. As Cappy said, it's not like they don't have depth at catcher, which is the #1 thing Seattle is demanding in the deal. It may make baseball fans cry, but Yankees fans don't really care.
Same goes for the Mets. Hell, there isn't a single team in baseball you can honestly say wouldn't be better with Lee in their rotation.
I agree but the price for this two month rental is steep! BJ Upton was supposed to be a stud! I know he is hitting just .224 this year but he is still real young. I am not sure I want to pay the equivelent if I was a GM. Maybe Oswalt is a better option only because he is not a two month rental and he will not cost you as much!
Seriously, putting it in the context of need is probably one of the stupidest ways to frame the pursuit of Lee. If you want to look at it that way, the D-Backs probably need Lee more than anyone. This isn't kindergarten. The Yankees don't need a lesson in sharing or cooperation. These teams are - at some level - in direct competition with each other.
