Buried somewhere deep in the AL West, the Seattle Mariners traded off their stud off-season acquisition, former Phillie Cliff Lee, as teams with dreams of a postseason run jumped at the chance to deal.
The most aggressive Lee-hunters were the New York Yankees, according to ESPN.com.
Surprised? Neither were we.
But where Lee wound up could be a surprise.
The Texas Rangers landed the 31-year-old lefty Friday in exchange for first baseman Justin Smoak and minor league pitchers Blake Beavan and Josh Lueke, and infielder Matt Lawson.
Reliever Mark Lowe will also head from the last-place M's to the first-place Rangers.
Earlier Friday it seemed that the Yankees had emerged as the front runner in the quest for razor-sharp lefty. The Yankees already sported a powerhouse rotation, but imagine if they got Lee.
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Sabathia. Lee. Pettitte. Hughes. Burnett. Seriously?
Instead Lee becomes the ace of the Rangers rotation -- joining Scott Feldman, C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis.
The 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner brings an 8-3 record with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts to the Lone Star State.
All hope of improving pitching in Philly shouldn't be lost though.
Jayson Werth could be on the trading block. It's not hard to imagine the Phils moving their facial-haired right fielder -- with their rash of injuries, super-prospect Dominic Brown waiting in the wings and Werth's contract up after the season.
A deal that would send Werth to the Bronx for Javier Vazquez is being tossed around, according to several New York Post sources, claimed Beerleaguer.
As he showed last year when he carried the Phillies to their second straight World Series, Lee will make a difference -- the Rangers hope.
Well, as long as he stays healthy. After all, Lee has a history of abdominal strains.
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