Well, in between leaving work and running 8 miles, Cliff Lee ended up NOT going to the Yankees and instead was dealt to the Rangers, according to Joel Sherman on twitter, as forwarded by Metsblog.
According to Jon Paul Morosi on twitter the deal is Lee and Mark Lowe for Justin Smoak, Blake Beaven, Josh Lueke and Matt Lawson. Morosi is also reporting that the Mariners are not paying ALL of Lee's salary, as others are reporting.
First off, I'm happy it wasn't the Yankees...
Secondly, the thing that jumps out to me is that Seattle isn't paying ALL of Lee's salary, which I think is more shocking to me that they're paying ANY. I mean, I get that Texas has financial issues. But they are getting Lee, Lowe and at least SOME of Lee's salary being paid for? Does that strike anyone besides me as being a very good deal for Texas, even in spite of giving up Smoak? Oh and on top of Lee, whose numbers are ridiculous (2.34 ERA, 86 Ks and 6 BBs), the Rangers also got Mark Lowe who's not too shabby either putting up a 3.48 ERA.
Here's more on what Texas is giving up, to get Lee...
Smoak was hitting .209 with 8 homers and 34 RBI with the Rangers this season. Beavan had a 2.78 ERA with 68 Ks to 12 BBs, while Josh Lueke's ERA was 3.86 as a reliever in Double-A and Matt Lawson was hitting .277 with 7 homers and 34 RBI.
While I think Smoak was a nice get for the Mariners, the Rangers also have Chris Davis who is just as capable as Smoak, and probably has more power potential at the plate. I would imagine Davis will be brought up to replace Smoak sooner rather than later. But overall, this is a great deal for the Rangers, and although Seattle got a good return, I just don't know if this was as big a ransom as they had originally hoped for...
Either way, it's time for the Mets to start sniffing a little harder around Ted Lilly, or Fausto Carmona...
Showing posts with label Texas Rangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas Rangers. Show all posts
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Cliff Lee Watch: Reds and Rangers Into It
In an article published late last night for MLB.com, here, T.R. Sullivan reports that the Rangers and Mariners are having discussions centered around Cliff Lee. In the article Sullivan throws around names like Justin Smoak, Chris Davis, Derrek Holland, Blake Beavan and Jarrod Saltalamacchia as potential trade pieces that the Rangers could use to get Lee.
Smoak and Chris Davis are two major league ready bats, with Davis having the bigger power potential but being the more inconsistent of the two, which is why he's not with the big club. (Side note: I do a home run pool every year and the last two I've taken Chris Davis, in the prospect category, only to see him not stick around in the majors long enough to provide me much help). Saltalamacchia is another guy who just doesn't seem to be what people thought he would be, but maybe it's been the injuries or moving in between organizations that have retarded his progress. As for Holland and Beaven although they aren't the top pitchers in the Rangers system, they still have nice upside. So, any deal to me, involving Beaven or Holland, along with Davis and Saltalamacchia would have to be considered by Seattle. But...
I wonder whether a deal from the Rangers involving Salty, Holland and Davis is a better deal for the Mariners than something like Mejia, Thole and Pagan/Nieuwenhuis/Havens/etc from the Mets. But it's always difficult to trade within the division, right? And, Isn't Safeco where power hitters go to die? I would argue that Thole/Pagan would make more sense in Seattle than a Davis or Salty because of Thole's hitting style, Pagan's speed, and the "small ball" mentality that the Mariners seem to have with Ichiro, Jack Wilson and Figgins. But the Mariners did recently re-acquire Russell Branyan, so maybe it's not so "small ball" after all...
As for the Reds, rumors have them swapping names with the Mariners about Lee as well. According to FOXSports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, here, some names that might be considered are Juan Francisco, Yonder Alonso along with Matt Maloney and Travis Wood.
More top prospects being discussed here, and that's what it's going to take to get Lee because he immediately transforms a team into a contender, and if they were one to begin with, it makes them a serious contender. Especially considering how he's been pitching lately...
So while I think the Mets need to be in on Lee, I wouldn't be miserable if they acquired someone like Ted Lilly instead. There are many options out there, and I hope Omar does whatever he needs to do to improve the team, without giving up the entire farm.
Smoak and Chris Davis are two major league ready bats, with Davis having the bigger power potential but being the more inconsistent of the two, which is why he's not with the big club. (Side note: I do a home run pool every year and the last two I've taken Chris Davis, in the prospect category, only to see him not stick around in the majors long enough to provide me much help). Saltalamacchia is another guy who just doesn't seem to be what people thought he would be, but maybe it's been the injuries or moving in between organizations that have retarded his progress. As for Holland and Beaven although they aren't the top pitchers in the Rangers system, they still have nice upside. So, any deal to me, involving Beaven or Holland, along with Davis and Saltalamacchia would have to be considered by Seattle. But...
I wonder whether a deal from the Rangers involving Salty, Holland and Davis is a better deal for the Mariners than something like Mejia, Thole and Pagan/Nieuwenhuis/Havens/etc from the Mets. But it's always difficult to trade within the division, right? And, Isn't Safeco where power hitters go to die? I would argue that Thole/Pagan would make more sense in Seattle than a Davis or Salty because of Thole's hitting style, Pagan's speed, and the "small ball" mentality that the Mariners seem to have with Ichiro, Jack Wilson and Figgins. But the Mariners did recently re-acquire Russell Branyan, so maybe it's not so "small ball" after all...
As for the Reds, rumors have them swapping names with the Mariners about Lee as well. According to FOXSports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, here, some names that might be considered are Juan Francisco, Yonder Alonso along with Matt Maloney and Travis Wood.
More top prospects being discussed here, and that's what it's going to take to get Lee because he immediately transforms a team into a contender, and if they were one to begin with, it makes them a serious contender. Especially considering how he's been pitching lately...
So while I think the Mets need to be in on Lee, I wouldn't be miserable if they acquired someone like Ted Lilly instead. There are many options out there, and I hope Omar does whatever he needs to do to improve the team, without giving up the entire farm.
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