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Cliff Lee

Yankees Not Pursuing Lee Yet

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2:58pm: An official tells Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that the Yankees have yet to discuss trading for players at the deadline, including Lee.

THURSDAY, 2:07pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears (via Twitter) that the Mariners and Yankees have had "zero" discussions about Lee. That doesn't mean that they won't discuss the lefty in the future, but we now know that talks have not begun. Olney reminds us (via Twitter) that the Yankees have passed on the chance to trade for top pitchers before.

WEDNESDAY, 5:49pm: A rival executive tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that, despite the Yankees' effective rotation, he expects the team to be "undeterred in their pursuit of Lee on the trade market." According to Rosenthal's sources, the Phillies discussed Lee with the Yankees last winter prior to trading the left-hander to the Mariners. The Yankees had been willing to include Montero in a package for Lee, but that was before both the Vazquez trade and the emergence of Hughes.

3:56pm: A Yankees official told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News that the team has no urgency to do anything with their rotation, which isn't necessarily at odds with King's report below.  In other words, the Mariners might like the Yankees to get involved on Lee, but so far they're not.

More interesting is the team official's suggestion that only three players have been made available across baseball so far, and Lee is not among them.

8:03am: The Mariners are preparing for the Yankees to pursue ace lefty Cliff Lee, reports George A. King III of the New York Post.  King says the Mariners have already scouted the Yankees' Low A and Double A clubs and aim to watch their Triple A squad soon.  King spoke to a "person familiar with Seattle's thought process" who believes Jack Zduriencik will seek Triple A shortstop Eduardo Nunez as well as one of the Yankees' minor league catchers.  King suggests that the Yankees would need assurances that they could sign Lee to an extension if they're required to surrender Austin Romine or Jesus Montero.

King believes renting Lee would hold appeal to the Yankees despite their strong rotation.  The Yanks' boast a front five of C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, and Javier Vazquez, and it's not clear who they'd bump for Lee.  The most likely candidate, Vazquez, has a 2.73 ERA in 33 innings since returning from a break on May 12th.  Trading Vazquez to clear a spot for Lee seems convoluted to me.

With Nick Johnson potentially out for the season, an offensive addition would be more fitting.  To that end, King says the Yankees have scouts following the Astros in case Lance Berkman becomes available.  Berkman is still owed $11.2MM heading into today's action, however.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Orioles, Cliff Lee

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Links for Wednesday, as the Pirates' Brad Lincoln hopes to capture just a small slice of Stephen Strasburg's success in his MLB debut…

Odds & Ends: Fielder, Lincoln, Gorzelanny, Lee, Haren

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Links for Sunday..

Stark On Orioles, Lee, Padres, Stanton, Angels

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Major league executives told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark which starters they would most want to have for the next ten years. Zack Greinke and Tim Lincecum didn't make the cut, but Felix Hernandez, Josh Johnson, Ubaldo Jimenez, David Price, Brett Anderson and Jon Lester did. Here are Stark's latest rumors, as the trade market starts taking shape:

  • Two teams say that the Orioles would listen on Kevin Millwood right now.
  • A rival executive says the Orioles are "sniffing around for a shortstop." Stark hears rumors that they have interest in Twins prospect Trevor Plouffe. 
  • The Mariners won't seriously consider trading Cliff Lee before they're sure they can't salvage their season.
  • There's increasing pessimism that the Astros will be able to obtain salary relief and prospects for Roy Oswalt.
  • Teams are giving up on acquiring Adrian Gonzalez this summer, since the Padres continue to win.
  • Two officials believe Heath Bell could be traded even if the Padres stay in contention. Check out this post from earlier in the week for more on Bell's trade value.
  • Tom Gorzelanny could be on the market in a couple weeks when John Grabow comes off the DL.
  • Stark hears that the Marlins will call Mike Stanton up next week. The Marlins are being cautious, since they want to prevent Stanton from obtaining super two status and teams believe the cut-off will be later than ever this year.
  • Stark's sources don't expect the Angels to start searching for a bat to replace Kendry Morales for a few weeks. When they begin looking for offense, they're expected to look for someone who is about to hit free agency or a versatile player who can defend around the diamond. Kendry Morales is under team control through 2013, so Prince Fielder wouldn't be a fit for the Angels.

Odds & Ends: Griffey, Padres, Suzuki, Pedroia, Haren

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Hard to believe that Ken Griffey Jr.'s retirement will only be the second biggest story of the day. Here are some more links to check out…

Odds & Ends: Willis, Pierzynski, Mets, Miranda

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Links for Sunday….

Heyman On Prince, Buchholz, Sheets, Padres

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We've already heard about Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee, but Jon Heyman of SI.com introduces us to some lower-profile trade candidates in his latest column. Here's the latest on what trades to expect over the course of the next two months:

  • This summer, the Yankees plan on pursuing a reliever plus a hitter to replace Nick Johnson (Twitter link).
  • Executives believe there's a real chance the 19-28 Brewers deal Prince Fielder. One NL GM says "Milwaukee can't afford the Prince Fielders of the world.''
  • The Indians asked for Clay Buchholz in exchange for Cliff Lee last summer and were rejected by the Red Sox. The Indians were smart to ask, but the Red Sox are surely glad they held onto Buchholz, who has a 3.07 ERA this year.
  • An AL GM says Ben Sheets needs to be more consistent to become an appealing trade target. Sheets is pitching better after a slow start.
  • GMs around the league would love to see the White Sox make their pitchers available.
  • A White Sox insider says Ozzie Guillen isn't going anywhere.
  • One GM can see the D'Backs trading Dan Haren for a prospect-rich package, but other executives think the D'Backs will keep their ace.
  • Most executives see the Padres holding onto Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell – at least as long as they're playing this well.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lee, Braves, Mets, Oswalt

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On this date 12 years ago, Diamondbacks manager Buck Showalter ordered closer Gregg Olsen to intentionally walk Barry Bonds with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 9th. Arizona was leading the Giants 8-6 at the time, and the move not only forced in a run, but also put the winning run in scoring position. The next batter, Brent Mayne, flew out to deep center field to end the inning and give the D'Backs the 8-7 win. It was just the third time in history that a batter was intentionally walked with the bases loaded, though the Rays' Joe Maddon turned the same trick with Josh Hamilton in August 2008. 

Coincidentally, Bonds hit his 715th career homer to pass Babe Ruth for sole possession of second place on the all-time list on this same date back in 2006. Anyway, here's a collection of links from around the baseball blogiverse…

  • Prospect Insider examines the Cliff Lee trade market.
  • Capitol Avenue Club lists six players the Braves could select with their first pick, #35 overall, in next month's draft. Atlanta sent their first round pick, #20 overall, to the Red Sox as compensation for signing Billy Wagner.
  • Mets Paradise looks at the internal candidates the Mets could turn to if they need to fill another rotation spot.
  • Yankeeist reviews some players the Yankees either let go or passed on last offseason, plus some players they could pursue next winter.
  • Dodger Dugout tries to figure out what Ned Colletti might be thinking as the trade deadline slowly approaches.
  • Meanwhile, The Baseball Opinion speculates about Roy Oswalt landing with the Dodgers.
  • The Bottom Line says that John Lackey's curve has been lacking with the Red Sox.
  • River Ave. Blues takes a deeper look at some draft prospects the Yankees have been linked to.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Olney On Pitching, Benoit, Rangers, Managers

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We could very well see a buyer's market for pitching this summer, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Veterans like Ben Sheets, Jake Westbrook, Kevin Millwood and Cliff Lee could join Roy Oswalt on the trade market and give interested teams plenty of choice. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:

  • There's not much of a chance that the Dodgers will have the money to pursue Oswalt during the season, though they did call to inquire about him. Lee would be more affordable, but the Mariners would have to make him available and the Dodgers would have to out-bid other suitors.
  • The Rays had a pair of scouts tracking the now-dominant Joaquin Benoit last winter, before they signed him. That signing has worked out for the Rays and for Benoit, who has yet to allow an earned run.
  • The Rangers are apparently looking for catching help. This comes as no surprise, since we've heard that they have some interest in A.J. Pierzynski and Rod Barajas.
  • Third base coaches Chip Hale (Mets) and Mike Quade (Cubs) may have futures as big league managers.

Dodgers Inquire On Roy Oswalt And Cliff Lee

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The Dodgers inquired on both Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee and got similar responses from the Astros and Mariners, reports Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Both clubs told the Dodgers that they're not about to deal their respective aces now, but assured GM Ned Colletti that he would hear about it if anything changes.

The Dodgers have a rotation of Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw, John Ely, Chad Billingsley and, eventually, Vicente Padilla. That group, plus Carlos Monasterios, Charlie Haeger and Ramon Ortiz, has combined for a 4.20 ERA. 

The Dodgers have less payroll flexibility than some teams, but Colletti says the club could take on payroll in the right trade.

"I think it really depends on the deal," Colletti said.

Lee has about $5.7MM remaining on his deal, and Oswalt has about $29MM remaining on his. That could make Lee the more coveted pitcher, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explained earlier tonight. It seems likely that the Astros will listen to offers for Oswalt, but there's no guarantee that the Mariners will shop Lee.

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