Cliff Lee is tired of getting traded.
The 2008 AL Cy Young winner has been dealt three times in the last year, the latest of which has him playing for his fourth team during that span, the Texas Rangers.
Now, the lefty is saying enough is enough.
According to MLB.com, Lee wants a no-trade clause as part of the inevitable long-term deal that he will sign in the offseason.
"I'm going to do everything I can to have that in there," Lee told MLB.com. "I want to have some control of my life."
The 31-year-old is originally from Benton, Ark., and his family still lives in the state. And while there are no big league clubs that play in Arkansas, Lee still wants a sense of stability with his future team — or at least more than he has now.
In July 2009, Lee was dealt from the Cleveland Indians — where he won the Cy Young the year before — to the Philadelphia Phillies. By December, Lee was on the move again, as the Phillies traded the southpaw to the Seattle Mariners to make room on the payroll for Roy Halladay.
After Lee started the season in Seattle on the disabled list, he came back to put up tremendous numbers, earning him a spot on the AL All-Star team. On Friday, Lee was traded again, this time from Seattle to Texas.
Let’s also not forget that in 2002 Lee was traded from the Montreal Expos to Cleveland in the Bartolo Colon deal. The guy’s been around.
The Rangers are certainly a good fit for Lee — now. They are four-and-a-half games up on the Angels in the AL West, and Lee makes them the contender to take down the division. But thanks to the team’s financial uncertainty, Lee’s future in Arlington beyond October remains doubtful.
So Lee once again will pack his bags and head for greener pastures. But wherever he goes, Lee wants to make sure that he stays there for good — or at least a full calendar year.
