Cliff Lee to Yankees?

[clarknova]

http://www.fanfeedr.com/mlb/2010/07/09/report-yankees-offer-top-prospect-jesus-montero-to-mariners-for-

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=MLB&id=3565&sn=t

http://www.fanfeedr.com/mlb/2010/07/09/report-yanks-all-but-certain-to-land-lee

And about 10 other places. This looks to be one of those, "It's going to happen unless someone swoops in and pulls the trigger (TEXAS!!)". And we're back to Montero? Sheesh. I'll wait to see what the deal is before I pass judgment.
If Cliff Lee goes to the Yankees... Who can beat that team? And, you'd have to think they do an extension, or have a backroom handshake deal on an offseason contract. Man, I like Cliff Lee. I can't root for him as a Yankee though. Just can't.

UPDATE:
It could be all bullshit! What do you know!? Starting to wish this would just get over with:

http://www.fanfeedr.com/mlb/2010/07/09/olney-deal-not-done-could-spur-more-talks

[clarknova]

Buster Olney via Twitter:


Executive involved in Cliff Lee talks: The Yankees-Mariners deal "is just about done."

I'm hearing Jesus Montero (projected to be "Cabrera-like" hitter, questions about whether he stays at Catcher), AA 2B David Adams (big, streaky hitting- one of those "could be a serviceable hitter, could never put it all together" kinda guys), + at least one other, and at least one place is saying it's a 5 for one deal. After following these deals for years, I can say that what they usually end up swapping is not exactly what everyone expects or speculates, but this is looking like a done deal.

[kiowaman]

If Cliff goes to the Yankees I certainly won't root for him. The Yankess have enough. I guess at my age I am stuck in this zone of I would rather have a more balanced league where there is actuall competition than one team spending as much as they want to put together a champion. I played sports and loved to win but competition and tough games with rivals, with wins over those rivals made the titles even better! But the Yankess don't care if things might be a big tough for them during the playoffs. They would rather run thru the other teams in four games and say, "look how great we are!" But in fact they aren't that great, they just bought it! Sometimes when you spend like to that to insure the best team instead of actually building your minor leagues and adding a player here and there it can catch up with you. I like the teams like the Twins who until this year had little payroll and still managed to compete. The A's used to be that way and maybe they will again, even though neither team usually can keep those who they brought up! And although making money is great as a player my principles would be like this if I had the kind of talent that some of the more greedy guys do! I would give the team that brung me more respect and devotion than someone who offered me tons of money. As long as that team I came with didn't disrespect my talent by offering garbage I would stay there and the crap of the union telling me that I have to take the biggest deal or the other players would suffer is baloney. We have too many players out there getting paid beyond what they are worth. There used to be a day a guy that has hit 250 for his career without alot of power didn't make fifteen million a year because he wasn't worth it. Now if a players is average and has one very good year, or just a good year all of a sudden he and his agent think he is the greatest player since Ruth! Then as the M's saw with Beltre that player doesn't show up as he had. I always though his little antics at the plate were juvenile at best and his effort at the plate was not as much as he could have gave. Well, we see what he is doing at the Red Sox don't we? My wife calls it Marineritis! Where a good player comes here and stinks up the joint but when he leaves he is good again! Maybe there is a point to that except so far Lee has fallen prey to it. Must be a medicine for it!
Anyway, Lee to the Yankees is not a good deal for him. If he goes to the Twins or the Cards he is going to be the man just like he is in Seattle and although he seems to be an unassuming type who doesn't care about being the man, it would be hard for me to believe it isn't something he wouldn't eat up just a little. With the yanks he is just another good player on a great team. If he goes somewhere else he is "the piece" to the puzzle! Just too bad that we probably will crawl to the trading table offering up for "prospects" instead of getting what we should for a player of his talent! Typical M's!

[clarknova]

First of all- welcome Kiowaman, if I haven't already!
I hear you on the "Marineritis", I've thought on that quite a bit, and examined the "why?" I think it's a combination of trying to run your team like the Yankees or Red Sox for so long after the "glory days" by way of signing sluggers to huge contracts (Beltre, Sexson) and "experienced veterans" (like Aurilia, Everett etc.) while we trade away young talent for crap (Choo, Soriano, Jones, etc.) under the delusion that we're on the verge of winning the world series, and a complete lack of understanding of park splits (Safeco kills SOME righties). Beltre's hitting hasn't changed, the outcome has.

You mentioned those teams like Minnesota and Oakland. I totally agree. And, although it's incredibly painful to watch right now, that's actually where we're headed. Those teams had homegrown talent because they couldn't afford to compete via huge free agent contracts. And I also agree the it's a cheap victory for the Yankees when you just buy all stars and former MVPs every off season. That's like me running a Ferrari against a Geo Metro and laughing and high-fiving myself as I cross the finish line. It's like, "yeah, way to go. your third baseman makes more than the entire Florida Marlins team did last year. What a heartwarming story your championship is. Go Miami Heat!"

If we do indeed get Montero we'll have 3 of the top 25 prospects in baseball. In fact, by a list I read today, we'd have 3 of the top 12 (Ackley, Montero, Pineda). That IS a plan for the future. Our farm system was close to the bottom of the barrel in 2008. After this, we'd be nearer the top. That is good news for the future, even if I can't bare to watch them play right now. The future is bright!

[JosephC]

Wow, where do you see the top 25 prospects in baseball? Pineda and Ackley hopefully do have long futures with this club (Pineda especially). At this point I don't really mind where Cliff Lee goes as long as it gives us the best return. I was hoping and hoping he'd go to the Twins, but that isn't going to happen at this point. Quite frankly, the Yankees make perfect sense since they'll easily work out a long term deal for the southpaw.

I hate the yanks as much as everyone else, but if they're gonna give us the best deal, go for it.

[clarknova]

Firstly, here's one pretty fair (from what I've read elsewhere) assessment of the two biggest pieces coming from NY:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/07/a-look-at-jesus-montero-and-david-adams.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I've also read that there is a "snag" in the deal which could take it down to the wire and that is whether or not it'll be Montero, Davis, +1 or +2. And, that there's some sort of "gentleman's agreement" that Lee won't pitch against the M's if he's traded before his start tonight.

Here's that top 25 list- Baseball America's mid season top 100. I like how it rates Montero so highly then says he's not any better and can't catch! Says a lot about his bat!

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/top-100-prospects/2010/2610314.html

[JosephC]

So it's looking to my eyes that we are clear winners here. We traded nearly garbage for Cliff Lee and we're getting a top 15 prospect and two other possible decent players in return.

[clarknova]

So it's looking to my eyes that we are clear winners here. We traded nearly garbage for Cliff Lee and we're getting a top 15 prospect and two other possible decent players in return.

That's exactly how I see it. It's funny on the internet how split it is. Some people seem to think that because he's Cliff Lee we should get another all star back. They don't take anything else into consideration. Nor do they consider that Jack will take the best offer he can get, and that what they "should" be able to get is not based in any reality beyond what one would like to have. Just totally unrealistic.

We'll control Jesus Montero for 6 years. I've heard everything from Cabrera, to Konerko, to Frank Thomas. He could be a total bust, but you either take that risk or suck if you're the M's. Those are your choices. They've taken the latter for far too long. I like the move. Would have loved to see Smoak in an M's uniform (also really intrigued by what Minnesota had to offer), and Montero's a righty, but you can't just have 9 left handed hitters or 6 lefties and 3 switch hitters that are OK from the right side. You really need a couple good right handed hitters. Regardless of what park you play in. This gives us the possibility of that.

[JosephC]

Anyone have a clue how close either of these players are to getting a September call up?

[Igoe4Mariners]

Maybe Texas will get desperate with this news and try to swoop in and deal Smoak. I just don't trust the Yankees. Hopefully Montero can turn out to be the real deal.

[clarknova]

Ken_Rosenthal via Twitter:


Source says third piece in Lee trade looks likes Triple A RHP Zach McAllister, 22 yo, 7-5 with a 4.45 ERA in 17 starts at AAA.

If true that would be awesome. Rated #5 prospect in Yankees system:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2010/269277.html

[JosephC]

Quite a load to hall in, but let's not forget that the Yankees system is not one of the best. They never get high draft picks because of their winning abilities, and when they need to fill a hole, they just buy it.

[TellItToTheDA]

Ken_Rosenthal via Twitter:

That's a nice piece added in to the deal, 5th best prospect in the Yankees system in 2010. I think that by adding him, we are far and away winners in this deal. We desperately needed a catcher, and now we've got one, and one who doesn't have the same question marks as a guy like Wilson Ramos has. We've definitely needed some starting pitching, especially now that we're losing our ace and now we've got a good one in Zach McAllister. I'd like to say that we fleeced the Yankees, but if they go out there and win the title, then it's not so much fleecing as both teams getting what they wanted.

[mikepelfrey]

you guys should have taken Montero,hes hit over 400 since that almost trade and smoak 169 as a mariner with a boatload of k's