Explaining Cliff Lee and August trade waivers
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Explaining Cliff Lee and August trade waivers
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — The Phillies placed Cliff Lee on trade waivers, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports, which is merely standard procedure this time of year. Most teams place a majority of their players on waivers after Aug. 1 regardless if they intend on trading them or not.
Lee is likely to go unclaimed because he is owed approximately $95 million through 2015. If a team claims him, the Phillies can pull him back, negotiate a trade with the claimant, or simply allow that team to absorb his entire contract. It's highly doubtful anyone claims Lee for risk of inheriting a massive commitment.
The Phillies, a baseball source says, were not willing to assume any of Lee's remaining salary during trade talks before July 31. They were also asking for a bounty of top prospects in return.
Lee has a no-trade clause that prevents a deal to 21 teams without his consent.
For those reasons, any Lee deal now or in the wintertime, is dubious unless Ruben Amaro Jr.'s demands change.
"They told us those were rumors and there wasn't anything really in the works," Lee said Tuesday. "Ruben did tell me some teams did propose some stuff to him, but nothing that even made close to sense for the Phillies. I signed here to win here. Obviously nobody is happy the way this year has gone, but this is where I want to be. We still have a lot of talent."
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Ask yourself this question, If they intend to keep Lee, why go to the trouble of putting on waivers? Why go aggravate him? Did they put him on waivers last year, or Halladay for that matter?— EL Zorro- I still think Amaro is fishing for a deal for Lee. Why aggravate Lee with this move unless he has plans to deal him? To me, it's obvious what Amaro's intention is. I still think he's going after Olt and if the right package is put together, Lee will be a Ranger by 8/31.
- Not to throw gasoline on the Ryan Howard fire but, here goes:
Coming off a devastating injury? Yes, indeed. And I would have been in favor of RH sitting out the whole year. There is nothing to be gained risking possible injury in this wretched season.
Can anyone co-relate how a torn achillies has anything to do with fishing for the low, outside pitch, you know, the one we have seen take him out since the better part of the 2009 season onward, not counting his clutch Colorado series in 2009? He is a great run producer when he is on his streaks. Just think of what an all time monster player he could have been had he not tried to pull the low, outside slider? And that, my friends, will be his MLB career in Philadelphia Epitaph.— DelawareRiverRat - Bingo. His injury has absolutely nothing to do with his lack of discipline at the plate. The guy is a strike out machine and, unless he has no shame, should be embarrassed by continually swinging at balls in the dirt and six inches off the plate.
- If i were Cliff Lee right now i would throw FB's right over the middle of the plate for the next few seasons and watch them go over the fence and then laugh in RAJ's face for playing the yoyo game with him..... RAJ is the laughing stock of MLB right now.— pr0f3ss0r
- could not agree more. Smug Ruben is am embarrassment to Philadelphia. Unfortunately for Cliff Lee, even after that spectacular show of loyalty to Philadelphia he and his wife made two years back, he will be shown no respect by the Arrogant One. The guy wanted desperately to be a Phillie and to make Philadelphia his family's home. There's a much better chance the rig will be pulled out from under him yet again when he least expects it.
If you want respect from this Smug GM of ours, you either have to be a Rule 5 pickup (his darlings Martinez and Herndon) or someone Amaro went out of his way to acquire. Since Cliff Lee found his own way back to Philly after Amaro unceremoniously dumped him the December prior, Amaro must have felt like he was one-upped by him.
— advantasux - Hah! The Nats Just Activated Jason Werth,.. how ironic he gets injured playing vs the Phillies he gets activated playing against them xD... He aint gonna do squat! hes Wrist is a Mess! TO bad though!— SotehPR
- El Zorro - I was thinking similarly -- the the Rangers are still an option even with Dempster. It could happen. The Rangers managed to beat the Angels by one in 10 innings last night. If the Angels win tonight and take 3-of-4 of that series that increases the pressure on the Rangers.— s
For all the bashing you guys are give Amaro, which is really just anger. MLB.com rates the two prospects he got #4 (Joseph) #6 (Martin). He may have stripped the farm clean to go for it, but that is what we wanted. Now he is slowly putting bullets back in the clip to reload/develop. And my word get off Ryan Howard. If you don't see what this guy means to this team follow another sport cause you have no clue about baseball.- i want Olt so bad i trade halladay and lee for the top 3 prospects on the rangers team xD— SotehPR
- Yesterday, RAJ was on the Mike Missanelli show and stated he was not necessarily done. Understanding that he is not going to come out and tell anyone of his intentions, this move smells of something possibly in the works.
El Zorro puts it right though, why aggravate star players, especially Lee, who was blindsided in the first Seattle deal and came here because of his good vibes recieved in his short time here. He cannot be feeling good at this moment.
Texas has a window to win a World Series much like the window we were all in for so many years. Our team blew it's chance, but the Rangers still have their window open, but it is closing after this season. Their time to act is now. Hopefully, our long term third base and/or shortstop positions can be taken care of shortly......— DelawareRiverRat - Does going on waivers really bother these guys? I tend to think it doesn't. I thought a lot of guys went on waivers after the trade deadline. There's no harm since the waiving team has full control over what happens.— s
- @psu chuck. Howard is a run producer. However in the last 22 abs, he has struck out 14 times. Last year in the biggest game of the year, he didn't produce any runs. Hopefully, next year he will produce again. This year is a pass because of the injury. His best days are definitely behind him. If he hits 30 hrs and drives in 100 next year I will be amazed!
— Pap - If this year is a "pass" as you put it, I assume Howard will not collect any of his mega-million salary as the franchise premier player... Right.
— dogman5 - I don't get it. What is the point if no one will take him at his full salary? What does this move gain the Phils?
— Poppys
