Phillies

Now the Phillies are Considering Trading Cliff Lee

By Kyle Scott

Published: Jul 29th, 2013 · 9:30 AM EDT

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Bow-tie man himself, little Ken Rosenthal:

Actually, Lee hasn’t been traded during the season since 2010. Chances are, he will not be traded before the non-waiver deadline at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday. But the Phillies are discussing their All-Star left-hander with other clubs, according to major league sources, creating the possibility of another Lee blockbuster.

One rival executive on Sunday night acknowledged the Phillies’ willingness to trade Lee but said the team would do it only “for a lot!!!” — meaning, a steep package of talent.

Rosenthal then went on to list all the reasons why Lee probably won’t be traded: his contract, time constraints before the deadline, the Phils can afford Lee, his stiff neck, and – my favorite – Ruben Amaro’s inability to sell, which produced this line from a rival executive:

“Ruben has always been a buyer,” one rival executive said. “He doesn’t know how to sell.”

Cue he doesn’t know how to haggle clip.

I still think trading Lee would be foolish, for all the reasons here.