According to the New York Post, the Seattle Mariners are shopping starting pitcher Cliff Lee, and they expect the Yankees to make a bid at the left-hander.
Lee is just one year removed from a World Series appearance with the Philadelphia Phillies, where the southpaw beat the Yankees in Games 1 and 5.
Lee was acquired by the Mariners in the three-team deal that sent Roy Halladay to the Phillies this past offseason. The lefty is owed $9 million in the final year of his contract, after which he will become a free agent.
And even though the M’s will probably lose Lee to free agency if they don’t trade him, Seattle still expects good value for the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner.
"They want one of the catchers and [Eduardo] Nunez," a person familiar with the Mariners’ thought process told the New York Post.
Nunez, a 22-year-old (he’ll be 23 on June 15) shortstop playing at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, is hitting .309 with 12 steals in 58 games this year.
As far as the catchers in the Yankees’ farm system, there are a number of possible candidates who could serve as trade bait.
The two top catching prospects in the organization are Austin Romaine (Double-A Trenton) and Jesus Montero (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre). Then there is Francisco Cervelli, who has seen a fair amount of time with the big league club this year due to Jorge Posada’s injury. Backstops Gary Sanchez (recently signed from Dominican League) and J.R. Murphy (Single-A Charleston) are other potential names.
The Mariners have had scouts in Charleston and Trenton, and are expected to follow Scranton soon, the Post reports.
If the Yankees acquired Lee, he would be reunited with former Cleveland Indians teammate and fellow AL Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia in the New York rotation.
If you thought that tandem was scary in Cleveland, imagine them in the Bronx.
