How Available is Cliff Lee?

The Phillies may be just 7.5 games behind the first place Atlanta Braves and 5.5 games back from the wild card leading Pirates and Reds, but they are simply too old to contend with these elite young clubs through September. With July 31 approaching, Philadelphia should look to be sellers in this year’s trade deadline and attempt to rebuild quickly much like the Boston Red Sox have done in the past year.

Reuben Amaro Jr. is one of baseball’s best general managers, but once he retires, Amaro will not be remembered for creating some of the best Phillies teams, but as the man who traded Cliff Lee, not once but twice. And did the right thing.

Cliff Lee is by far Philadelphia’s best pitcher. Through July 12, Lee had a team best 10-3 record, 2.86 ERA, 125 strikeouts, and 138.2 innings.

Lee is not only the best Philadelphia pitcher this season, but has also been one of the game’s best pitchers through the past decade. With a career record of 135-81 since his 2001 debut with the Cleveland Indians, it is a surprise Lee has yet to find a consistent home. Despite his success, Lee has played on four teams in five years, including two stints in Philly. Lee has become a usual commodity on the midseason trading block; subsequently he has only played a full season with a single team twice since 2009.

Amaro acquired Lee, the reigning Cy Young Award winner, in 2009 in a blockbuster trade deadline deal with the Indians for a collection of prospects. Lee helped lead the Phillies to a second straight National League title before falling to the Yankees in the World Series. That offseason, Amaro traded Lee for the first time, to the Seattle Mariners.

In Seattle, Lee had an 8-3 record with three straight complete games before being relocated within the division to the Texas Rangers. Once again, Lee helped his team reach the World Series but failed to capture a ring when the Giants captured their first of two World Series in three years.

After the 2010 campaign, Lee returned to the Phillies as a free agent. In the past two and a half seasons, Lee has a 33-21 record and 575 strikeouts.

As an aging team, the Phillies could consider unloading contracts and Lee has to be at the root of that discussion. Almost any team in contention would value Lee’s experience and proven success to help them reach the playoffs.

A likely destination for Lee, if Amaro lets the one of the National League’s best pitchers of the century go again, could be the National League Central. Both the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates could gain an advantage on one another by acquiring yet another stellar arm to fill out their rotation. The Reds might also express interest in Lee to keep up with the almost unfair pitching of Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

Other potential destinations for Lee could be Arizona and Baltimore. Other than Patrick Corbin, the Diamondbacks are struggling with starting pitching and Lee could help protect first place from the Yasiel Puig-led Dodgers. The Orioles also have issues with their starters and Lee would automatically be the young, inexperienced staff’s ace.

Assuming Lee is traded, Amaro will make the right move by getting rid of the four-time All-Star, again. All five teams listed above have strong farm systems that can produce prospects valuable to Philadelphia rebuilding. Lee may be the best available pitcher on the market this July, which will help bring minor league talent and future All-Stars to The City of Brotherly Love, as well as a potential World Series in the coming years.

Potential Trade: Young for Joba

July 10 marks when NBA teams can officially announce trades and free agent signings; however it is a potential baseball transaction that has caught my attention the most. There have been recent trade rumors circulating that the Philadelphia Phillies are exploring the option of trading versatile veteran infielder Michael Young to the Yankees in return for the erratic Joba Chamberlain.

If this deal can be pulled off before the July 31 deadline, it will only add to various other trading “phlops” in Philadelphia sports history while Brian Cashman would have succeeded yet again in finding production in a thought to be washed up player.

Joba Chamberlain has become one of the generation’s most inconsistent and unreliable pitchers. Chamberlain has struggled staying on the field and at the major league level while battling numerous injuries and mechanics issues.

As a rookie, Joba looked like a potentially great major league pitcher when he went 2-0 with a sub one ERA out of the bullpen. In his 2008 sophomore and first full season, Chamberlain continued his early success by posting a 4-3 record with a 2.60 ERA while averaging more than one strikeout per inning.

Since his first two seasons, Chamberlain has moved between the bullpen, starting rotation, and operating room. Joba has yet to perform for a full season as he has made over 45 appearances out of the bullpen only once, in 2010 where had a 4.40 ERA and allowed almost one hit every inning. Currently, Chamberlain is having his worst season yet, with an ERA over five through 22 appearances.

Michael Young is one of baseball’s most underrated players. Young is a career .301 hitter while being extremely versatile. The seven time All-Star has experience at all four infield positions and has a fielding percentage over .955 at all four spots.

Through the 2013 campaign, Young has played mostly third base, while batting .289 and committing only six errors.

If this trade goes through, the Yankees may pull off one of the biggest steals in baseball history. Young is almost a perfect fit for the Bombers while the Phils could acquire a couple boxes of baseballs for the same value of Joba Chamberlain.

As a veteran with playoff experience, Young also provides great character. As a Ranger, it seemed like every year Young was forced to change positions because of a new addition to the team. The Yankees could use a player like Young who provides a team first attitude to the clubhouse.

Young could also jumpstart a sluggish Yankee lineup with his energizing, reliable, and consistent production, as he not batted under .250 in over ten years. With the future of Alex Rodriguez in the Bronx questionable and a lack of production from the hot corner this season, Young could fill a big vacancy in Joe Girardi’s lineup.

Joba does not however blend with a Phillies organization looking to make one final push for the playoffs before the majority of their roster begins retiring. If the Phillies are looking for one more October, they do not need another lackluster arm in a bullpen with an ERA of 4.61, nor can they afford to lose their second leading and best all around hitter.

The Pinstripes revitalize careers, and despite the almost natural fit between Young and the Yankees, I do not see this trade going through. The Phillies would be out of their mind to let a potential key to the playoffs go in return for a pitcher who may actually make the league’s second worst bullpen even worse.

Best Available on This Year’s Trading Block

As the July 31 trade deadline approaches, teams in contention will look to increase their chances in reaching the playoffs with blockbuster trades sending players across the country. Over the years, trade deadline acquisitions have made a noticeable difference such as the Texas Rangers acquiring Cliff Lee before their trip to the World Series in 2010. Some, like the Dodgers’ audacious trades in 2012 to add Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Shane Victorino, and Hanley Ramirez, were a waste of money, time, and media.

As of June 14, fifteen teams are above .500 and can be considered “in the hunt.” There are five playoff spots in each league. What happens between now and July 31 might have some impact on what happens between now and the last game of the season on September 29.

I have gathered the best available players at each position, along with which teams could use them.

Pitchers

Teams: Orioles, Athletics, Braves, Yankees, Dbacks, Reds, Rays, Boston, Rangers, Cardinals, Rockies, Giants

Any team could upgrade their pitching staff. If a manager other than Jim Leyland says he does not, he is lying. The best pitching options available are White Sox southpaw Chris Sale (5-4, 2.68 ERA, .192 AVG, .92 WHIP), and right-handers, Angels’ Jerome Williams (5-2, 3.15 ERA, .235 AVG, 1.17 WHIP), Astros’ Bud Norris (5-6, 3.47 ERA, .280 AVG, 1.42 WHIP), Cubs’ Jefff Samardzjia (3-7, 3.46 ERA, .225 AVG, 1.21 WHIP) and Phillies’ Kyle Kendrick (6-4, 3.22 ERA, .247 ERA, 1.21 ERA).

Pretty much every team could use another arm in their rotation. Kendrick will likely stay in the National League if he is traded, as he is not an AL pitcher and has experience with the likely NL East champion Atlanta Braves. Teams like the Yankees, playing in bandbox stadiums, will likely pass on Norris because of his higher ERA and opponent’s batting average. If Oakland was not in the Astros’ division, the cavernous Oakland Coliseum might have been a possible destination for Norris. Oakland will need another starter with the remainder of Bartolo Colon’s season in jeopardy due to his alleged involvement in Anthony Boesch’s biogenesis clinic.

Sale and Williams probably will be the prized possessions of this year’s trade deadline, with their success on poor teams. The Yankees and Red Sox will likely come away as winners, but do not be surprised if Texas comes into the question for these two.

Catchers

Teams: Pirates, Dbacks

There are not really any catchers on the market, and it would be hard to bring in a first string catcher from outside the season during a playoff race. Teams like Pittsburgh and Arizona could use depth behind the dish. Mets pitch caller John Buck might be the best option, but he is likely not for sale.

First basemen

Teams: Giants, Rockies

The Dodgers and Blue Jays could both use some youth in their systems after unloading most of their minor leagues in unsuccessful trades this past year. Both teams could acquire farm players by trading their veteran first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez (.312 AVG, 8 HR, 44 RBI) and Edwin Encarnacion (.267 AVG, 18 HR, 55 RBI). Justin Morneau (.294, 2 HR, 38 RBI) could also be potentially on the trading block. All three could provide a veteran personality to the clubhouse, along with a strong bat to the lineup, to teams in need at first like the Giants and Rockies.

Second basemen

Teams: Orioles, Dbacks, Rockies

The top second baseman on the trading block could include Astros’ Jose Altuve (.294, 3 HR, 26 RBI), Angels’ Howie Kendrick (.324 AVG, 8 HR, 33 RBI), and Mets’ Daniel Murphy (.283 AVG, 5 HR, 29 RBI). The Orioles could utilize Kendrick’s offense the most to keep up with the high scoring and high spending Red Sox and Yankees. Murphy is not the best defensive second baseman, but could still provide a valuable bat and complete a Rockies lineup with Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, and Wilin Rosario. Arizona could use any of these three second baseman but might find their guy in Altuve who has a play style fitting to the Dbacks.

Third basemen

Teams: Red Sox, St. Louis

Philadelphia’s Michael Young (.278 AVG, 2 HR, 13 RBI) may be the most valuable at the hot corner, from his playoff experience and versatility in the field. Young has only appeared in 60 games but could be useful to a team like Boston. Another temporary asset at third base could be Cleveland’s Mark Reynolds (.235 AVG, 13 HR, 42 RBI).

Shortstops

Teams: Cardinals, Pirates, Red Sox, Dbacks

Young also plays shortstop, however another Phillies infielder, Jimmy Rollins (.262 AVG, 4 HR, 22 RBI), may be part of a possible trade. Rollins also has experience in the playoffs, this experience could complete a young Pirates team that has fallen apart down the stretch in the past two seasons. The White Sox’s Alexei Ramirez (.265 AVG, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 13 SB) can draw interest and could use a way out of the Windy City. Possible destinations for Ramirez could include Boston, Arizona, and St. Louis.

Outfield

Teams: Braves, Yankees, Pirates, Dbacks, Red Sox, Tigers, Giants, Reds, Rangers, Rockies, Athletics

Just like any team could upgrade their pitching, any team could add to their outfield. Alex Gordon (.302 AVG. 6 HR, 33 RBI) of the Kansas City Royals is the best left fielder on my prospective trading block. The lefty batting Gordon is a strong and consistent player that could benefit from the short right field fences of Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. Toronto’s Colby Rasmus (.249 AVG, 10 HR, 30 RBI) is the top centerfielder, as the Jays are looking to replenish their farm system. The White Sox’s Alex Rios (.293 AVG, 11 HR, 33 RBI) is atop the list of right fielders.

Top 5 on the Trading Block

1.     Edwin Encarnacion 1B/TOR

2.     Howie Kendrick 2B/LAA

3.     Chris Sale P/ CWS

4.      Jerome Williams P/LAA

5.     Adrian Gonzalez 1B/LAD