Phillies Place Cliff Lee on Waivers

Here's more from MLB Trade Rumors:

The Phillies were expected to waive Lee this month, when waivers are revocable. Teams routinely place high-profile players on waivers in August to determine other teams' interest...

Teams have two business days to claim players off of waivers, which suggests Lee hit the waiver wire yesterday, when the August waiver period opened. If Lee clears waivers, the Phillies might be able to trade him. Lee can block trades to 21 teams including the Diamondbacks. The Yankees, Braves and Marlins are not on his no-trade list, however.

The money owed to Lee is crazy over the remainder of his contract -- he's making $21.5MM this year, and with get $25MM a year from 2013-15, along with a $27.5MM vesting option ($12.5MM buyout) in 2016.

A couple weeks ago I wanted nothing to do with Lee and for the most part I still feel the same way. But with the Yankees being one of the teams he can be traded to, their recent struggles and tough month of August ahead of them, I felt it was at least worth passing this info along.

If Lee clears waivers, and he probably will, don't be surprised to start reading reports that the Yankees are at least interested. Also, with Philly clearly wanting to get rid of that contract maybe the price tag won't be as high as some would have expected.

Gammons Says Cliff Lee Might Be An Option

Oh no, not this again.

Here's the story from Jon Lane:

During his weekly Thursday spot for Sports Radio WIP in Philadelphia, MLB Network’s Peter Gammons suggested that the Phillies, due to their last-place standing and the changes in compensation for free agents, may explore getting into an area where they can sign pending FA Cole Hamels and trade Cliff Lee, who turns 34 next month and signed through 2015 with an option for 2016.

If that were the case, Gammons said a big-market team would go for Lee in a hurry, and one of those teams could be the Yankees. Ironically, the Yankees were this-close to trading for Lee in 2010 before the Mariners chose to do business with the Rangers. That winter, Lee turned down the Yankees’ seven-year, $148 million offer for five and $120M in Philadelphia, a place he claimed he never wanted to leave. (Lee was traded from the Phillies to the M’s in December 2009).

.... The Yankees have professed fiscal responsibility and are aiming for a payroll under $189 million by 2014. Lee will cost a contender top prospects and the acceptance of the left-hander’s contract. That along with Brian Cashman’s insistence he’s not looking to do anything big by the July 31 trade deadline would put the Yankees out of play.

Or would it?

“The Yankees can say all they want that they won't trade,” Gammons said. “I do think it's not exactly in Brian Cashman’s DNA to trade young players, but it's different when you're Cliff Lee. I think there's a possibility. I really do. I think (the Phillies) can get more for Cliff Lee than for Cole Hamels.”

Even though Lee isn't the same pitcher he's been in recent years, there is little doubt in my mind that the addition of Cliff Lee (or Hamels for that matter) would easily favorites to win it all. However, I think we all became pretty sick of Cliff Lee, and all the talk about him coming here, when he decided to sign with the Phillies instead of signing with the Yanks a couple off-seasons ago.

"I never wanted to leave [Philly] in the first place," Lee said. "To get an opportunity to come back and be part of this team and this pitching rotation is going to be something that's historic, I believe."

So Cliff, how's that working out for you?

Maybe I'm just an ass, but part of me would much rather watch him rot with those last-place Phillies than come here and succeed.

What about you?