Is Omar Faking a Lee-gasm?
The Mets have been very vocal in their interest in acquiring Cliff Lee. They’ve made the usual statements about being unwilling to trade “top prospects” to acquire him, but if you believe the Mets, the interest is there.
However, recent reports indicate that:
- The Mets may be out of cash
- The Mets are interested in cheaper options, like Ted Lilly.
- Other teams are more willing to trade top prospects just to rent Lee for the pennant race – specifically, the Twins and the Rays.
Now, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports is reporting that the Mets don’t seem very serious about Lee at all. RotoWorld thinks the Mets may be stringing their fans along for the month of July – hoping to keep their hopes up until Cliff Lee lands with another team.
If the Mariners aren’t accepting that deal, I have no idea what they are waiting for.
In the end, Seattle holds all the cards. They could trade Lee, but only for a package they desire. If they aren’t happy with any offer prior to the deadline, then they offer Lee arbitration in the winter and collect their 2 first round draft picks. It’s a win/win for them. They are going to wait until they are absolutely sure: 1) there are no better offers to be proposed, and 2) what they are receiving for Lee is on par or better than the 2 draft picks they’d get for holding on to him.
There are Met fans encouraging Omar to deal Niese/Pagan/Mejia for Lee. That alone is enough for the Mariners to hold fast to Lee and wait and see if they get blown away.