from espn.com
Quote:
A trade that would send Mariners left-hander Cliff Lee to the Yankees was "just about done" on Friday morning, according to an executive involved in the trade talks.
The Mariners have been pushing hard to complete the trade, but as of Friday morning there was no agreement in place, sources said, and it was possible another team could have stepped in to make a more aggressive bid.
The Mariners had also been talking with the Rays, Twins, Rangers, Reds and other teams, and news that the Yankees were on the verge of getting Lee -- first reported by the New York Post -- could have spurred one of the other teams to strengthen their offer.
But all along, the Yankees have believed no other team matches up better than they would with Seattle in a Lee deal because they are offering prospect Jesus Montero, who figures to have a long and productive career as a hitter regardless of whether he plays catcher or first base.
A baseball official with knowledge of the Yankees' thinking told ESPNNewYork.com's Andrew Marchand they view Montero as a plus-hitter and think he has improved his catching skills, though, among other things, he still needs some work on his accuracy on throws to second despite his powerful arm. The Yankees also like double-A prospect Austin Romine and project him as a possible .275, 20-homer catcher. If they traded Montero, Romine would make the move easier for the organization to absorb.
But the lingering question in their internal debate has been whether expending a trade piece such as Montero would be worthwhile, and in recent seasons, the Yankees have passed on acquiring Johan Santana, CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay under similar circumstances. And the Yankees' rotation is good enough to win without Lee.
But the Yankees know that one of the AL East powers is going to be on the outside looking in at the conclusion of the regular-season jockeying, and they saw first-hand last October just how good Lee can be.
They have been well aware of the potential impact of Lee in another contender's rotation, as he was in helping the Philadelphia Phillies reach the World Series for the second straight season.
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The Mariners might feel compelled to move Lee as quickly as possible for a couple of reasons. First, the sooner they move him, the more they can extract in their asking price, and secondly, there is always the inherent risk that Lee, who has had multiple abdominal strains in his career, could get hurt, which would completely gut his trade value.
Lee might be the closest thing baseball has seen to a sure thing on the trade market in years, because he demonstrated in 2009, after being traded from the Indians to the Phillies, that he is capable of pitching well in a pennant race, and that he responds well while on the postseason stage.
The Twins would look like a different team with Lee joining Francisco Liriano and Scott Baker at the front end of their rotation, and the Texas Rangers would become a more viable threat in the postseason.
The Twins were strongly considering including their top catching prospect, Wilson Ramos, in an offer, an official with knowledge of their thinking told ESPNNewYork.com's Marchand. With Joe Mauer in the fold, Ramos is expendable. The Twins know they would likely lose Lee in free agency, but have reasoned that they could make up for Ramos' loss with the extra draft pick.
If the Rays had stepped outside of their necessarily disciplined approach -- which has worked exceedingly well for them -- and acquired Lee for Jeremy Hellickson, or Wade Davis and Desmond Jennings, then they would have gone into the postseason with the extraordinary rotation of Lee, David Price and Jeff Niemann, with Matt Garza perhaps free to work out of the bullpen.
On Wednesday night, the Mariners had thrown a huge asking price at the Yankees and the Yankees said no. But then Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik doubled back Thursday and lowered his demands around Montero.
So now the Yankees could have a rotation of Sabathia, Lee, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett. Presumably, they could trade Javier Vazquez to a contender in the next 72 hours.
The Phillies could be a front-runner, and they've made outfielder Jayson Werth available in the past.
The Yankees already were viewed as the favorites to land Lee in free agency, and while they are considering moving Montero and others now, they will not have to surrender their first-round pick in order to sign the left-hander.
Talks between the Yankees and Mariners haven't included discussion of a negotiating window on a contract extension for Lee, and there won't be, a source said.
