Since the New York Knicks failed in their efforts to persuade LeBron James to bring his talents to the Big Apple, the defending World Series Champions have taken it upon themselves to provide some sort of consolation to the city in the aftermath of ‘The Decision’.
According to NYPost.com, the New York Yankees are closing in on a deal to obtain Seattle Mariners ace Cliff Lee for a package that would include top catching prospect Jesus Montero.
With the Minnesota Twins, the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers still in talks with Seattle, the Yankees are not assured of consummating the trade but, within the past twenty-four hours, the Bronx Bombers have emerged as the clear front-runners in the race.
This season, the 31-year-old Lee, a two-time All-Star and a 2008 Cy Young Award winner, is 8-3 with a 2.34 ERA and an eye-popping strikeout-to-walk ratio of 14.8. For his career, the Arkansas left-hander is 97-55 with a 3.86 ERA.
After spending seven seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Lee was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies last season, along with outfielder Ben Francisco, in exchange for Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp and Lou Marson and became an integral factor in Philadelphia’s run to a third consecutive National League East Title. In addition, Lee’s solid pitching performances in the 2009 postseason nearly resulted in a second consecutive World Series Championship for the Phillies.
However, after falling to the Yankees in the 2009 Fall Classic, Philadelphia decided to exchange one Cy Young Award winner for another when they traded Lee to the Mariners and acquired Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-team trade.
Now that Seattle has fallen out of playoff contention and Lee set to become a free agent at the end of the season, the Mariners are looking to deal the coveted starting pitcher before the July 31 trade deadline.
For their part, Seattle is looking for top catching prospects in return, which is the reason why Jesus Montero, an elite hitting prospect in Triple-A, has become a bargaining chip that is working in the Yankees’ favor.
The report indicates Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik wanted to make a move before the All-Star Break so, before the end of the weekend, Lee could potentially reunite with his former Indians teammate C.C. Sabathia on the New York Yankees.
Imagine that.
The Yankees already own the best record in Major League Baseball without Cliff Lee. Therefore, adding another ace to their pitching staff will turn New York into the overwhelming favorites to win the American League (AL) East, the AL Pennant and the World Series.
Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a video of a memorable pitching performance by Cliff Lee.
Yankees Close To Acquiring Cy Young Winner Cliff Lee
