The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a rough start. They are hovering around .500 while the rest of the division (minus the Marlins of course) is thriving. Not only that, their offense is absolutely butt awful.

So, they’ll need that starting pitching, huh? Of course they will! Well, they better hope some other people step up, because Cliff Lee isn’t going to be able to help for the next 15 days. That’s right, he was placed on the DL with an oblique strain.

Hooray?

The good thing is that it’s not tough to replace a guy with a 1.96 ERA who is borderline unhittable at times. Not when you have Kyle Kendrick it isn’t. The journeyman bullpen/spot starter should be a right-handed Cliff Lee if all goes according to plan.

In all honesty, I’m not sure I see the Phillies making the playoffs this year.

With the Philadelphia Phillies tied with the St. Louis Cardinals at 2-2 and facing Game 5 tonight, you’d think there needs to be some sort of explanation. Sure, the Cardinals have a nice team, but nothing compared to this Phillies team that is stacked to bejesus and back with pitching.

The easy scapegoat has been Ryan Howard, the team’s $100+ million man who has been awful since Game 1. In Game 1, he popped a three-run homer for the ages and drove two more in later. It looked like he would put the team on his back and carry them to the NLCS. That, ummm, hasn’t happened. He’s been terrible since then. So this has to be his fault, right?

Well, he should shoulder some blame, but no one wants to blame this pitching staff? This “best staff ever” group of pitchers that haven’t done their jobs?

In Game 1, Roy Halladay gave up a three-run homer in the first inning to get the team down 3-0. Sure, after that he settled into being Roy and carved up the St. Louis offense. The Phils were able to dig out of it and rout the Cardinals for what turned out to be an easy Game 1 win.

The second game? The team gave Cliff Lee – the mighty can-do-no-wrong Cliff Lee – a four-run lead. FOUR runs. That should be game-set-match, correct? It wasn’t. Cliff blew the lead and the Phils lost.

The only guy that did his job so far was Cole Hamels. He didn’t have his best stuff in Game 3, but still pitched six shutout innings and the Phillies hung on for the win. Roy Oswalt in Game 4? Pitched extremely well except for really one inning, when he got knocked around. Bad. He gave up five runs in five innings. They could get Randy Wolf to do that. That’s not was dream team pitchers are supposed to do.

The problem is that all these scenarios were played out before the season even started. “Boy, just give Cliff Lee a lead and than it’s lights out.” But no, that hasn’t happened and no one wants to call them out. It’s easier to blame Howard.

Make no mistake about it, if the Cardinals take down Game 5 and go on to the NLCS, this starting pitching staff is to blame. This is not what the team was expecting out of them.

Cleveland Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco has been on the DL since early August with elbow issues. And while nothing is certain yet, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian says that the team is considering the possibility of Tommy John surgery.

“Acta: Indians still exploring options for Carrasco (right elbow). Tommy John surgery is a possibility, but is not a certainty at this point,” Bastian tweets.

Carrasco is 8-0 this year with a 4.62 ERA. While he’s showed flashes of being the pitcher the Phillies always thought he’d be, he’s also shown why the Phils would part ways with him in the original Cliff Lee deal.

It was about a year ago that I sat in OTR’s very own, Micah Warren’s German luxury car (Volkswagen Jetta). We were headed to the range to hit some golf balls when I suggested an interesting, yet unlikely scenario. “The Eagles should make a move for Albert Haynesworth.”

It was evident that this guy was unhappy in Washington and first year head coach, Mike Shanahan, was switching to a 3-4 scheme. Among other things, pride slashed with an undoubtedly poor attitude left the Redskins with a very unhappy, very unmotivated and VERY expensive player for the year. That said, it wasn’t hard to assume Washington would look to move this guy either by trade or simply cutting him after the season.

Despite all this, I repeated my interest in acquiring his services. He is a big, dominant force in the middle who, when motivated, is one of, if not, the best DL in the league. I thought it made complete sense to give him a 2 year, incentive laden deal and an opportunity to rejuvenate his reputation and career. This was a specific position of need for the Eagles that could be filled and possibly exceeded with the addition. Still, I was called a fool and others wanted no part of my scenario.

Just curious: Who is one of Fat Albert’s main potential suitors once a CBA is reached? Who brought in his former tutor to coach the defensive line? More importantly, why is it accepted as a possibility now…when it was rejected vehemently when proposed in your German engineered sedan? Is it only worth considering when SportsCenter runs a VO on it or if Adam Schefter says its possible?

The 2010 MLB season came and went. The Phillies ran into the heavy arms of the S.F. Giants and were eliminated in the N.L. Championship Series. Despite trading for Roy Halladay and adding Roy Oswalt at the break, the Phightin’s came up short and were out classed on the mound. Is it any surprise that pitching wins championships? No. So even though they had a great rotation already, why is it so farfetched to think they would make a play for Cliff Lee?

I repeated myself over and over again that the Phillies could bring back Lee if they wanted to. Despite moving him to clear space for Halladay, the minute the trade went through to Seattle both Lee, the fans AND the Phillies knew something didn’t feel right. A fan favorite, who was at the top of his game, was moved across the country despite his relationship with the fans and outward desire to play in this city. So why wouldn’t the Phillies take a peek at the guy once he hit the open market?

If a few things happened, the Phillies would have just as good of, if not a better shot at signing the lefty. First, we all knew they would have to let Jayson Werth walk. Done. Second, they would have to find a suitor for Raul Ibanez’ contract. Third, they would need to rely on Lee taking a little less money. Plain and simple. Okay, so the Phillies decided to go over budget rather than find a new home for Ibanez, but all the right things happened prior to signing him. Very similar to how the Eagles are positioning themselves for Haynesworth (although not nearly at the same level).

So when news struck in the middle of the night that Cliff Lee signed a deal with the Phils, were you one of the ones completely caught off guard… or simply excited that your team took advantage of an opportunity in front of them? 

So why can’t Steven Stamkos become a Flyer? Ah, finally we’ve arrived at my point (EDITOR’S NOTE: Finally). I’m hearing nothing be negativity and doubt regarding the Flyers ability to sign Stamkos. He is 21 and arguably the 3rd best player in the game (behind Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby). So let’s address some of the facts.

Fact: Flyers would have to clear cap space
Fact: Whoever signs Stamkos to an offer sheet would have to give up four first-round draft picks
Fact: Tampa Bay owns his rights as a RFA so he would have to refuse the initial offers prior to July 1

To clear the cap space, the Flyers cleared up nearly $108 million in long-term contracts by dealing home grown studs Jeff Carter and captain Mike Richards. Cap space achieved.
In both of those trades the Flyers got young and talented. Highlighted the Richards deal was Braydon Schenn, the 5th-overall selection in 2009 and a guy nearly every team coveted. Thanks to the Carter trade, the Flyers scooped up Jakub Vorecek (6th overall in 2008) and also landed the 8th-overall pick this year.

With that selection, these guys got Sean Corturier. This guy was once ranked the #1 North American born skater and debated as the top overall pick. He slipped down to 8th where the Flyers bag an absolute steal. And let us not forget the 2007 No.2-overall selection in JVR.

So to recap, the Flyers now own the rights to the 2007 No. 2-overall pick, 2008 No. 6-overall pick, the 2009 No. 5-overall pick and the 2011 No. 8-overall pick. Signing Stamkos to an offer sheet at the expense of four future first-round draft picks doesn’t seem so extreme now…does it? They would be putting themselves in a great position to WIN now while securing youth for the future. Plus, if things go as expected, the picks would be at the bottom of the first round.

Finally, none of this is possible if Stamkos simply signs with TB prior to July 1st. How has that gone so far? In order for any of this to be possible, Stamkos and the Lightning have to come to an impasse on a new deal and allow him to test the waters. So far, the on again, off again talks have proven to provide just that.

Of course, if/when a team signs him to an offer sheet, TB has the right to match the deal. It is being reported that TB is offering around $7-7.5 million per season. Really? Crosby is getting upwards of $9 million/per and Ovechkin is just over $9 million/per. Do we really think this guy is going to sign for $7 million without at least letting other teams drive up that price tag? In addition, who says the Lighting can pay him top dollar even if they wanted to? Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Ryan Malone are all on the books for long-term, high-cap contracts. I didn’t see any of those guys get moved yet… did you?

So if a team, like the Flyers, would come in and offer part of the $108 million saved by moving Carter and Richards to Stamkos… do we really think TB can match it? In a curious move, the Flyers moved Darroll Powe earlier this week. Why? He wasn’t going to cost too much and was critical to the PK. Why make that move if you were trying to save every penny you could for a much larger plan?

Do we really think Snider isn’t eying up a big move? After all, he has given up control of the Sixers and has full attention on his prized baby. I’m not saying this is definitely happening, but what I am saying is… look at the facts. Teams, like the Flyers, can pull off a move like this if certain things fall in line. In fact, it’s really the only way moves like this get done. The Phillies took those moves, the Eagles are trying to make some moves and it appears the Flyers are doing the exact same thing.

THINK BIG!

The Philadelphia Phillies made a brave choice back in 2009 when they traded for stud left-hander Cliff Lee. They sent Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp and Lou Marson to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for the Cy Young-award winner.

Lee got the Phillies within two wins of a repeat World Series championship back then, mowing down the Yankees like they were a bunch of Little Leaguers (except Derek Jeter, who seemed to be okay). But, based on what Carrasco did tonight, it’s clear that the Phillies made a ginormous mistake.

Sure, Carrasco only pitched in five games in 2009 was an absolute Turd Ferguson. He pitched in seven in 2010 and was a bit better. And through 10 games this season, he has been tearing up the entire American League with a 5.18 ERA.

Tonight was Carrasco’s swan song, however. He hurled 8 1/3 shutout innings against the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins who have a lineup to die for. Just when hitters thought that Carrasco would zig, he zagged. And then threw fastballs and other pitches. Sometimes, he threw both at the same time.

And while it’s not clear what kind of pitches he threw, what is clear is that the Phillies made a huge mistake in trading him away for a marginal pitcher like Cliff Lee.

So far this season, the Philadelphia Phillies have been as good as advertised. They are 21-9 and have a two-game lead in the division. The Phour Aces – Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels – have been brilliant. Hell, even Joe Blanton has been very good after a rough first couple of outings.

But Blanton is now on the DL and it looks like he may have some company. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com says that Oswalt will not pitch on Saturday and that Kyle Kendrick will take his place. He also says that a trip to the disabled list could be on the horizon.

“Kendrick will start Saturday. Oswalt could land on the DL. Back bothering him a bit,” Zolecki tweets.

Oswalt just returned to the team after heading down south to help his family through all the storm and tornado damage. I wonder if his back was bothering him enough then that they knew he couldn’t pitch anyway. He did tweak it right before he went down there.

Vane Worley has been spectacular in two spot starts for Blanton, but Kendrick tends to be not very good.

It’s nice to have four studs in your pitching rotation, and the Philadelphia Phillies certainly have that. However, their lineup has taken quite a beating since the end of last year, and it isn’t looking good, at least not for Chase Utley.

For a while, it seemed like a little bit of rest would help and he’d be right back on the field. But it’s a little disturbing now that Utley is even being asked about the All Star break. A reporter asked him if he would be back before then.

“That would be a goal, yes,” he said.

Ugh. Looks like he’s really going to be out a while.

The team’s general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. would agree with that, as he said that he doesn’t have plans to put Utley on the 60-day DL yet. But, Phillies fans have to realize that terms like “All Star break” and “60-day DL” mean bad news. It’s bad that they are even part of the discussion right now.

Utley has a good ol’ fashioned case of patellar tendinitis, chondromalacia and bone inflammation in his right knee. He’s hardly been able to do anything baseball related this spring, unless he has a lawn chair.

“I’m optimistic at this point,” he said. “I think being able to take ground balls fairly lightly, not a whole lot of intensity, just to be able to do that pain-free was important.”

Too bad that never happens in an actual…you know…baseball game.

“We’re going to kind of let my body dictate how it’s going and make progressions from there,” Utley said. “I think at this point, we want to take steps forward and not backward, and so far we’re doing that. … I think we’ve been pretty patient with it, and I think we’re going to continue to be. I think that’s the smart thing to do, and we’re going to stay on that track.”

The big question on everyone’s mind seems to be the one about surgery. He could just have it and be on his way, right? Well, the surgery itself is risky too. There is no telling that that will solve everything.

Utley said there were a couple doctors that told him that same exact thing.

“You can talk to 10 different doctors and they’ll probably give you 10 different answers,” he said. “There are a few different types of surgeries that guys would probably recommend. None of them I would feel that comfortable with at this point. I think we can alleviate this without the surgery, but time will tell. Hey, listen, if surgery was the answer and I could be back on the field in six weeks guaranteed, it would be a no-brainer. But I don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s a little unpredictable at this point. I want to take as many steps as I can to avoid that surgery and see what happens.”

Utley’s new rehab process includes massages apparently. We want to hurt our knee toooooo!

“A little bit more intense than just a standard massage, and I think it’s loosening everything up, which allows my knee to work a little more efficiently,” he said.

Utley was asked if he was worried that even if he feels better at some point, couldn’t the pain return once he starts playing everyday.

“That crossed my mind,” Utley said. “That’s why we’re trying to take this process slowly to read how I’m responding. You might try something one day and see how you respond the next day. If it’s OK and everything feels OK, you can make progressions off that. As long as you’re moving in the right direction, I think we’ll be OK.”

Oh boy. Could be a loooong year in Philadelphia.

“It’s not something that’s going to change overnight,” Utley continued. “It’s going to take a lot of work on my end, a lot of work on the trainer’s end to make this go away. So definitely it’s frustrating, but I’m trying to stay positive about it.”

Can Cliff Lee perform knee surgery? The Phillies really do have 99 Problems but a Pitch Ain’t One.

Hit Me! The Philadelphia Phillies have pitching out the wazzou and everyone knows it. However, this is not a flawless team. They have problems. 99 problems? Jay-Z might think so, but probably not that many. Then again….it’s early.

In 2008, it was the young Cole Hamels that fooled batter after batter, team after team as the Phils lost just three games in their entire playoff run. Fastball or changeup? What do you prefer? Doesn’t matter and good luck guessing. Hamels was the playoff MVP and the World Series MVP as he led the Phillies to their first World Series title since 1980.

In 2010, the Phillies traded for uber-stud Roy Halladay. Last year, he was only able to produce a perfect game, 21 wins, a postseason no-hitter and a Cy Young award. He’ll need to step it up.

During the 2010 season, the Phightins maybe an in-season move for Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt, who was brilliant last year. He’s back this year, and will probably be great again unless that little comebacker to the head has long-term effects (it won’t).

And what about their latest pitching acquisition? That’s right, in case you hadn’t heard, Cliff Lee is back. Nothing short of brilliant for the Phils at the end of 2009, he helped the Texas Rangers get to the World Series in 2010 and stands to do the same for the Phillies in 2011. Yeah, he’s Cliff Lee.

And what about Joe Blanton? Did we forget about Joe Blanton? Yes? We forgot about Joe Blanton, who is probably the best fifth starter in all of baseball.

But, this team has some question marks. Chase Utley is scheduled to start the season on the DL. Jason Werth is gone. There is a lack of righthanded bats in the lineup. Ryan Howard doesn’t have any protection. Who will lead off? Who is hitting No. 5? Who is playing right field? Is Dom Brown going to develop?

The Phillies have some problems. They might even have 99. But none of those problems is a pitch. And to commemorate this pitching staff and this 2011 season, OTR has created t-shirts. That’s right, 99 Problems but a Pitch Ain’t One t-shirts.

You can get yours in a variety of colors, right HERE.

There were many people who were concerned with the health of Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee. He had a bit of a strain in his abdomen that was giving him some discomfort in the past month or so.

Still, he and GM Ruben Amaro insisted at the start of spring training that he was perfectly fine and that there was nothing to worry about. Based on today’s bullpen session, it looks like they were telling the truth.

“Cliff Lee throws 40 pitches to hitters in a live BP session. Right on target with everyone else. No one swung,” tweets Matt Gelb.

You never know when these things will flare up, but for now it looks like he’s fine. Phillies fans can go back to worrying about right field and Brad Lidge.

CC Sabathia is the only sure thing in the entire New York Yankees rotation. With question marks like Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett likely rounding out the top three spots, the Yankees can ill afford to lose Sabathia.

But, that might be exactly what happens.

A source tells the NY Daily News that after this season, Sabathia plans on using the opt-out clause in his contract that would effectively void the final four years and $92 million on his current deal. Of course this is barring any unforeseen setbacks like a major injury.

Sabathia said in December that he wasn’t planning on utilizing his opt-out clause. On Monday, he wouldn’t go that far.

“Yeah, I said that, but . . . Like I said, I’m here to try to help the team win,” he said. “I don’t want to talk about that all year. This will probably be the last time I address it. I’m here.”

Sabathia was hit with a follow-up question, but quickly cut it off.

“I’m here,” he said.

We think someone got a look at the $120 million over five years that the 32-year old Cliff Lee got from the Phillies.

In case you missed it, the Phillies are back at it.  And now they’re targeting a right-handed bat.  Reports have been confirmed that the Phils contacted the Texas Rangers about 3rd baseman Michael Young.

Before you get excited, there wasn’t much these two teams had in common.  It was just a call to see what the going rate was.  One source said the discussions were “brief” and amounted essentially to “tire kicking” on the part of the Phillies.  One can imagine the conversation going a little like:

Photo Caption:  “Shut up, Charlie…They make me look bad ass.”

Phillies:  “Hey Texas, I see you’ve got an unhappy camper over there.”

Rangers:  “You lookin’?”

Phillies:  “Well, I’ve got this Joe Blanton guy that I don’t know what to do with…”

Rangers:  “We’ll take him.  Throw in Dominic Brown and you’ve got a deal.”

Phillies:  “Good talk.  Sorry it didn’t work out…and the whole Cliff Lee thing.”

But I digress.  The Phillies lost a very solid player in Jayson Werth as he not only protected Ryan Howard for the last few years, but was a  key right-handed bat in a predominantly left-sided lineup.  After leaving for Washington, plenty of questions exist regarding just how they are going to fill that void.  Apparently they seem more intent on replacing his bat…and not simply a left fielder.

But not at the expense of Placido Polanco.  I mean it.  Michael Young has much better offensive numbers than Polanco and I can only imagine what he would do making Citizens Bank Park his home.  But Polanco’s glove on the hot corner is simply too valuable.  Sorry Phils, I totally appreciate you making that call, but I’m not sure it would work.

Wait, hold up.  Let me rewind for a second.  I think we may have glossed over something big.  The Phillies contacted the Rangers about Michael Young?  Is the this the club that just shelled out coin and traded for the best pitcher in baseball, Roy Halladay?  That very same club that then traded for a stud pitcher named Roy Oswalt at the break?  The same dudes who just shocked baseball by shelling out more coin for the prize pitcher in free agency, fan favorite, Cliff Lee?

And they’re still looking?

I love that fact that they picked up the phone just to “kick the tires.”  If there are guys out there that may help this team win, the Phils are picking up the phone and seeing just what it would take.  Apparently, regardless of your position or how much you’re getting paid.  Young is still due $48 million over the next three years.

That’s a far cry from the Phillies I grew up watching.  Then again, the Phillies I grew up watching (other than 93) weren’t really worth the watch.  Today’s Phillies are listening.  They are leaving no stone unturned as they continue to pursue another championship for the city of Philadelphia. 

I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell appreciate it. 

@JeffreyLurie, you watching?

Much of the ballyhoo over the last 12 or so hours has been about the Philadelphia Phillies inexplicably landing stud left-hander Cliff Lee. The New York Yankees had offered him more years and more money, but apparently Cliff was still upset about his wife getting spat upon in the Bronx.

Well, the Yankees have struck back, and they have struck back hard. They signed free-agent catcher Russell Martin to a blockbuster one-year contract worth an undisclosed king’s ransom.

The Yankees fired a huge warning shot across the nose of MLB with this signing, and baseball executives everywhere are shaken to their very core. So, how did they pull it off?

They offered him a chance to start. Jorge Posada should be DH’ing at this point, so Martin will get the chance to start for the Yankees while Jesus Montero gets some more seasoning in Triple-A ball.

Martin his .248 last year and will immediately become the Yanks’ leadoff man.

According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Philadelphia Phillies have re-acquired the services of Cliff Lee. This is absolutely unreal.

“Cliff Lee is going to the Philadelphia Phillies, industry sources said Monday night. The Rangers were told Monday night that Lee is going to the Phillies, It is a done deal,” Sullivan tweets.

The Texas Rangers and New York Yankees were believed to be battling it out, but the Phils jumped in late and emerged as a legitimate suitor. Some reports have him signing a five-year deal at around $20 million per year, which is the bargain of the century for the Phillies. The Yankees were offering a seven-year deal at around $150 million (depending on which report you believe).

Cliff Lee left money on the table to sign with the Phillies. Wow. That’s amazing.

Right now, the Phillies starting rotation is (in any order): Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.

Hamels is probably the No. 4. I’ll repeat: Cole Hamels is probably the No. 4! He is a World Series champion who won the playoff MVP and World Series MVP back in 2008.

Have fun with that NL East. Phillies fans….this is a dream come true.

We knew that former Tampa Bay Ray Carl Crawford would get his dough. But did anyone think that someone would break the bank like this?

Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that the Boston Red Sox have agreed on a deal with Crawford for an MLB record-setting, seven-year, $142 million contract. It’s record setting because the 29-year old Crawford has never made this much money in baseball before.

We are pretty shocked at this deal. Crawford is a very good player, no one is denying that. But he’ll have a deal that will average just more than $20 million a year. Really?

Crawford hit .307 last year with 19 bombs and 47 stolen bases. He’s also a tremendous outfielder. But….really? We think that’s just too much money.

And while it definitely improves the Red Sox for the short term, we wonder what the last three or so years of that deal will be like when he’s slower and not as productive. That will be a tough check to cut.

The Sox have also added Adrian Gonzalez, so this team will be ready to compete for the AL East again in 2011…..until the Yankees sign Cliff Lee.

Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels confirmed to ESPNDallas.com on Wednesday that he and Nolan Ryan met with free agent pitcher Cliff Lee. We don’t know if it was to talk about baseball or for the three of them to visit one of the lovely museums in the state of Arkansas (we’ve heard the Monet exhibit in the Southern Little Rock Museum of Ancient and Modern Science and Archeticture is to die for!).

Daniels declined to say exactly what they were doing there or if a formal offer was made.

“It’s a process with only one point that’s really worthy of talking about, and that’s when there’s a decision made,” Daniels said. “No sense in trying to dissect and analyze everything else, but I realize that’s what goes on this time of year.”

Lee’s teammate with the Rangers, Ian Kinsler, went on a Dallas radio station on Wednesday and said he talked to Lee about the visit.

“Basically, I said, ‘What’s going on in Arkansas?’ [Lee] said, ‘the Rangers are down here again,’” Kinsler said. “I was like, ‘Well, just sign whatever they give you.’ He said, ‘Let’s see what happens. We have to wait it out.’

“I said, ‘Remember, I like being your teammate.’ And he said, ‘I do, too, but we have to wait it out.’ I said, ‘Just sign it.’ And then he sent me a picture of a deer [that a friend had bagged on his property].”

So there you have it. More conjecture. We’ll know where Lee signs when he does so. It looks like a two-horse race between the Rangers and Yankees. The Nationals have been mentioned, but…c’mon.

This is some shocker. The New York Yankees apparently aren’t happy with CC Sabathia as their only reliable starting pitcher. Andy Pettitte may or may not come back. Phil Hughes let them down in the playoffs. No one can rely on A.J. Burnett despite his five-year, $82.5 million contract.

So what is a girl to do? Maybe fly to Arkansas and meet with by far the biggest free agent on the market? Cliff Lee maybe?

Yep, that’s what’s happening according to Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com.

“The Yankees are flying into Arkansas personally today to meet with Cliff Lee, MLBTR has learned,” Dierkes tweets.

It’s widely known that the Yankees will be the major player for Lee’s services. Forget about all those reports of the Phillies being interested and blah blah woof woof. There will be tons of rumors out there, but when the Yankees want someone, they go get him. Unless the Rangers can pull off a shocker, which we don’t anticipate.

As the 2010 season moved on, most believed that it was a foregone conclusion that the New York Yankees would scoop him up after the World Series at some point. However, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reports that there are as many as eight teams that have inquired about Lee.

“7-8 teams have shown interest in C. Lee. #Yankees, #Rangers still favorites. #Phillies, #Dodgers, others check in, but do they have $$? #MLB,” Rosenthal tweets.

Who knows how accurate this is, especially if Lee’s agent was the one talking to Rosenthal. And just because someone is interested, doesn’t mean they are serious about making such a huge move. Surely, the Royals would love to have him, but we all know they’d never scrape the money together to compete with the larger market teams.

Regardless, it’s all speculation at this point anyway. Lee’s agent told the New York Daily News recently that talks will move at a slow pace, with a decision probably not reached until this winter.

CC Sabathia is one of the best left-handed pitchers in all of baseball. That said, he just wasn’t good enough in the ALCS against the Texas Rangers (neither were a lot of Yankees) and the defending World Series champions fell short.

Is it possible that he was a little banged up? Sure is. Especially since he was diagnosed recently with a small tear in the meniscus of his right knee. He’ll undergo surgery in the next few days and the Yankees expect him to be all good in about three weeks, according to the New York Post.

But, when you weigh as much as he does, is any surgery to the load-carrying part of the body “minor?” He is a horse of a pitcher and he’s obviously overweight, so we’d be curious as to how he’s able to respond from this.

All of this points to the Yankees going hard after Cliff Lee. Maybe the New York fans shouldn’t have spit on his wife and poured beer on her. They brushed it off (probably knowing that the Yankees provide the biggest payday), but it was still a classless move.

But, I digress. The Yanks are probably going to need Lee badly. Sabathia is 600 lbs. soaking wet and, at 31-years old, we don’t know how he’ll respond to this knee surgery moving forward. Who knows if Andy Pettitte will return, and if he does, he’ll be 39-years old. I’m not sold on Phil Hughes just yet. A.J. Burnett might be the biggest wild card starter in all of baseball.

Our guess is that Sabathia will be okay. But, that doesn’t mean that Brian Cashman shouldn’t get Kevin Brown on the horn.

Texas Rangers stud Cliff Lee is among the best in the business. If he’s not the best left-handed starter in the majors then we’d love to know who is. But, this month has not been going his way.

Lee gave up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings to the Kansas City Royals today, and four of those runs were earned. He now has now allowed 27 earned runs in his last five starts. Very un-Cliff Lee-like (we have no clue if that’s appropriate use of hyphens. Don’t bother us with details).

He ends the month of August with a 1-4 record (we hate W/L as an official stat…very misleading) and a 6.35 ERA (whoa! that’s not!).

Because the Rangers are kicking the ever-loving snot out of everyone else in the AL West, this isn’t a huge problem right now. But, it is a priority to get Lee right for the playoffs. He could be the difference between winning and losing a playoff series.

The Seattle Mariners have optioned 1B Justin Smoak to Triple-A Tacoma after he hit .163 with two home runs and five RBI’s for the club. Smoak was the prize of the Cliff Lee deal, but has been a bust as a rookie this year. He’s hit just .198 on the season.

So far for the Mariners, Smoak has just seemed overmatched at the plate.

This comes amidst a flurry of roster moves for the M’s. They also sent Milton Bradley to the DL. In addition, they called up Sean White and Matt Tuiasosopo.

MLB sources tell Mark Berman of FOX 26 in Houston that the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros have a deal in place for starting pitcher Roy Oswalt. According to the report, they are just waiting for Oswalt to waive his no-trade clause.

At this point, the Astros have told Oswalt that the money and players have been agreed to and they are just awaiting his response.

We don’t know the terms of the deal, but we really don’t know if we like this. Yes, Oswalt is a stud and could help the Phillies greatly. But he also costs a ton (again, we don’t know the money portion other than that he’s owed $5 million this year, $16 million next year and has a club option for $16 million in 2012) and has a lot of wear and tear on him.

The 32-year old has a 3.42 ERA this year and you can ignore his 6-12 record because the Astros are pretty awful.

We would have to think that the Phillies would be sending JA Happ, Domonic Brown, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to the Astros in order to make this deal work. Ok, we’re kidding.

But, not about JA Happ. This is another reason this deal concerns us. JA Happ is only 27-years old and partially unproven, but he is 13-4 in the last two years. He had a 2.93 ERA in a full season last year and a 1.76 ERA in limited starts this year (forearm tightness). Is he a surefire reliable starting in the majors? We can’t say that. But, what if this dude can ball? You’d be giving him up (along with whatever else) and getting a guy who is five years older and tends to break down.

Let’s not even mention the fact that the Phillies biggest problem is their awful bullpen that includes David Herndon and Danys Baez. Brad Lidge is hardly a sure thing either. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. seems to be chasing down the Cliff Lee deal. You messed up, Ruben. It happens. But don’t go making a bunch of other moves to try to fix the one you missed.

Proceed with caution.

The Texas Rangers were all excited that they got their shiny new prize named Cliff Lee. The stud lefty was 8-3 with the Seattle Mariners with a 2.34 ERA. On Saturday night, he made his debut with the Rangers at home against the Baltimore Orioles.

While everyone couldn’t wait for Lee to take the mound, it was the Orioles’ recently recalled Chris Tillman who stole the show. He didn’t give up a hit until Ian Kinsler hit a single with one out in the seventh inning.

“I’m not trying to take anything away from what that kid did over there,” said Rangers manager Ron Washington, who used to do cocaine. “He kept us off the scoreboard. But in my own opinion, I think we’ve faced better guys.”

“He threw the ball well,” third baseman Michael Young said. “It doesn’t really happen to us very often where we get shut down like that offensively.”

Meanwhile, Lee got touched a bit to the tune of six runs. He did, however, pitch the complete game. You don’t see that everyday….six runs and he went the distance? The main reason is that Lee was his usual efficient self, throwing only 95 pitches.

“I would have liked to come in and done a better job right off the bat, but it is what it is,” Lee said. “It’s a done deal now. All I can do is come in and prepare for the next time. Hopefully the results are better.”

As of right now, Lee isn’t in danger of losing his spot in the rotation. But this is a situation to monitor.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post has been all over this story lately. Now, he is reporting that the Seattle Mariners have agreed on a deal with the Texas Rangers to send them Cliff Lee. Wow.

According to the Rotoworld.com posting, Sherman says that the Mariners will get Justin Smoak, reliever Mark Lowe and three other players.

Details aren’t wildly available right now, but we sure hope Texas knows what they are doing. They have a 5.5 game lead right now in the AL West and they must think that the addition of Lee makes them a contender.

If not, they must know that they can sign Lee long term. Otherwise this might just be a waste of their time and money.

UPDATE: Mariners also acquire RHP Blake Beavan, RHP Josh Lueke and 2B Matt Lawson.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post is now tweeting that the Seattle Mariners are pulling back on the Cliff Lee deal that would send the stud left hander to the New York Yankees.

“#Mariners backing off #Yankees offer, Post has learned. Does not look like #Yankees are in it,” Sherman tweets with appropriate use of hashtags.

This is a far cry from the close to “done deal” that we were hearing before. The Mariners were supposedly interested in getting Jesus Montero, David Adams and Zach McAllister, but Sherman says they have concerns about Adams’ ankle.

He also says that another team has moved in with a big offer. Based on the fact that just about every single MLB team has been rumored to be interested, it could be anyone. It could be a Dominican winter league team for all we know.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, a trade that would send lefthander Cliff Lee to the New York Yankees is “just about done.” In return, the Yankees are expected to send catching prospect Jesus Montero.

“Executive involved in Cliff Lee talks: The Yankees-Mariners deal “is just about done,” he tweets.

Montero was recently ranked as the No. 4-overall prospect in baseball by some people who actually think that stuff matters. The Mariners would love to get the 20-year old in exchange for Lee because they know they have no chance of re-signing the veteran pitcher.

So, the Mariners would essentially get a potential stud catcher in return for a big heap of crap pitcher (Phillippe Aumont) and a pair of nobodies (Tyson Gillies and someone else that we forget because he’s so bad). They also got to rent Cliff Lee for half a season.

Way to go, Phillies!

What remains to be seen in all of this is if the Yankees will have enough money to give him a long-term deal. Things are tight in NYC right now.

With the Texas Rangers quickly falling out of the Lebron James sweepstakes, they have turned their focus on landing Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee.  And according to a little blurb on Foxsports.com, the Rangers have become the favorite.

“One rival general manager believes the Rangers have become the favorite to land Cliff Lee,” Ken Rosenthal writes.

One reason a deal between the Rangers and Mariners hasn’t happened yet, is the reluctance of  Texas to give up rookie first baseman Justin Smoak.  Another would be the $4 million that Lee is still owed this year, an amount that might be too much for the bankrupt Rangers to pay.  The Mariners could pick up the $4 million, but Smoak would most likely have to be part of the deal.

Other teams that are coveting Lee are the Twins, Mets, Yankees, Rays, Reds, Dodgers, and the team that stupidly traded him away in the offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Jeff Fletcher of AOL has confirmed that the St. Louis Cardinals are indeed interested in making a move for Seattle Mariners LHP Cliff Lee. Not exactly sure why, but he says they are.

“MLB source confirms @ed_price tweet that #stlcards are interested in C.Lee. Not sure where talks stand. #mariners,” he tweets.

We aren’t sure exactly where they are in trade talks, but according to Rotoworld, the Cardinals really only have one top prospect. That’s Shelby Miller, a Single-A pitcher who is just 19-years old. We’d have to think he’d be part of that deal.

We aren’t exactly sure why the Cardinals would be so interested in Lee. Sure, who wouldn’t want to add his studly 2.30 ERA, but the Cardinals seem to be more needy in the area of hitting. Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Jaime Garcia and Cliff Lee? You serious? Maybe they wouldn’t need hitting if they had those four.

Several baseball executives tell Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com that the Seattle Mariners are ready to trade LHP Cliff Lee right now, despite what GM Jack Zduriencik has said recently.

“We’re just going to try to win baseball games,” Zduriencik said Friday. “I’m not a fool. But in the same sense, who the heck knows? We’ll see what happens.”

“I’m not willing to throw in the towel just yet – our pitching is too good,” Zduriencik said.

That doesn’t seem to be the case. The sources that spoke to Rosenthal are from teams that have called the Mariners with interest in Lee. One source predicts that Lee will be moved in the next 7-10 days.

Lee is 6-3 with a 2.39 ERA this season. He has struck out 76 and walked only four. Sources tell Rosenthal that the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers are the most likely landing spot. Others think the Minnesota Twins have the inside track.

This means that no one has any clue and we’re all just guessing.

A league source tells Jack Curry of YES Network that the Philadelphia Phillies “would love” to get Seattle Mariners LHP Cliff Lee back.

“Spoke to baseball official who has regular contact w Phils. He said they are itching to add a starter and would love to get Cliff Lee back,” Curry tweets.

We aren’t shocked by this. It came out recently that the team is interested in bringing Pedro Martinez back. And one doesn’t have to look far to see that Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick and Joe Blanton are just not getting it done in the starting rotation right now. Only an idiot would think that this team is set as far as starters.

But could they really undo the trade that had everyone in the Delaware Valley scratching their heads? What would Seattle want? Phillippe Aumont back? Hahaha! We doubt it. He came to Philadelphia as a starter turned reliever. Then the Phils made him a starter again. Then he started the year in Double-A and was then demoted to Single-A a week ago. Does this sound like a recipe for a successful MLB starter?

Don’t even throw out the name Dom Brown. Not happening. The one name that keeps popping up to us is…Jayson Werth. The Seattle Mariners have some of the worst offensive statistics in all of baseball and Werth might be the kind of player that would get that deal done. And both Lee and Werth are rent-a-players who are up after this season. Seattle knows they won’t sign Lee, but what about the Werthquake?

Just a thought.

The Seattle Mariners recently unloaded a heap of minor league crap to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for LHP Cliff Lee. Good deal, right? Well, not really.

The Mariners still can’t buy a win despite having some excellent pitching. They can’t hit and are in last place in the AL West at 13 games behind division leader Texas. And, they still only have Lee on a one-year deal and he isn’t expected to come back with the Mariners.

And now, George A. King III of the New York Post says that the Mariners are prepared for the Yankees to make a run at Lee.

“They want one of the catchers and (Eduardo) Nunez,” a person familiar with Seattle’s thinking told King.

We’re guessing they want either Austin Romine, Jesus Montero or Francisco Cervelli.

The Yankees would probably rather have a bat, but if the M’s are offering Cliff Lee…why not?

King says that the Mariners are currently scouting the Yankees entire organization heavily to prepare for the inevitable inquiries about Lee. We’ll see what happens, but if the Yanks get Lee, just end the season already.