Mariners put Lee on the 15-day DL

The Seattle Mariners have put starting pitcher Cliff Lee on the 15-day disabled list with an abdominal strain. Lee has been battling this issue for most of the spring, and it’s not surprising that the Mariners would be careful here.

The good news for Seattle is that it’s not shoulder or arm trouble. We’d have to think that they really just want to get him right and will sacrifice a few starts in the beginning of the season in order for him to give them 100% the rest of the way. So, Lee gets sent to the Mark Prior List and he’ll like it.

With a healthy Lee and King Felix in Seattle, the Mariners have probably the best 1-2 punch in baseball. Throw in the fact that they could get Erik Bedard back in June (he’s not the greatest, but we love him as a #3), and the Mariners could spell trouble for teams late in the year. Would you want to face King Felix, Lee and Bedard in a best-of-five series to open the playoffs? We wouldn’t either.