Cliff Lee has long been garnered as one of the best players available in this year's trade deadline. One of the teams that has been subject to Lee trade talks is the Minnesota Twins.
Last December, Lee was involved in a blockbuster 4-team deal that sent him to a bad Seattle Mariners team. He expressed his displeasure when acquired by Seattle, and he thought he could possible end his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee said, after being traded to Seattle, "At first, I didn't believe it. I thought we were working out an extension with the Phillies. I thought I'd be spending the rest of my career there. ... I was under the impression they wanted to keep me there for a long time. In my mind, it was going to happen."
The Twins have reportedly expressed interest in Lee, offering two of their best prospects. Wilson Ramos, a catcher, is perhaps their best farm system player, but he will more than likely never get quality playing time behind 2009 AL MVP Joe Mauer. Ramos, considered by some, is supposed to be one of the best offensive catchers in the minor leagues, but he has only compiled a .208 batting average with the Twins' Triple-A affiliate, Rochester. He has also only hit 4 home runs with 19 RBI's in 52 games with the team. The other prospect, outfielder Aaron Hicks, was a 2008 first round pick (14th overall) by the Twins. He is currently in Single A with Beloit, batting a reasonable .260. He also has only 5 HR's with 34 RBI's in 76 games for Beloit. They both haven't had the best seasons so far, but it doesn't take away from the fact that they are supposed to be very good players...someday.
The Twins could really use some great pitching right now, as they are only half a game back in the division, behind the Detroit Tigers. They have been able to have an injury-free pitching staff all season, but their rotation is only a combined 37-30 this season. Carl Pavano has been their most stable pitcher this year, leading the Twins in wins (9) and ERA (3.30). Lee can definitely help solidify the pitching staff, and possibly lead the Twins to a berth in the postseason.
As the trade deadline looms, I think there is a 100% chance Lee gets traded from Seattle. The Twins have given the Mariners the best trade proposal, but it is unclear if the Mariners accept the offer or not. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal said about the rumor, "Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik declined to comment when asked to characterize his discussions with the Twins. No deal between the teams is imminent, another source with direct knowledge of the talks said."
A deal will probably get done sometime, and I see Lee in a Twins uniform to finish out this season and lead the Twins to the playoffs.
