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After weeks of anticipation, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Cliff Lee finally has a new home.

Just hours after it was reported that the New York Yankees were close to acquiring Lee’s services, the Mariners dealt the 31-year-old southpaw to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Justin Smoak and minor leaguers Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke and Matt Lawson.

Mariners reliever Mark Lowe was also sent to Texas as part of the deal.

In terms of fantasy value, Lee’s has nowhere to go but down. 

After 13 starts (103 2/3 innings) this season, Lee owns a sparkling 2.34 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, both of which top his 2008 Cy Young Award-winning totals. He also boasts a jaw-dropping strikeout-to-walk ratio of 89 to 6.

In his last eight starts, Lee has lasted at least eight innings seven times, including three complete games.

Lee’s BABIP and strand rate are normal, but his xFIP is nearly a full run higher than his current ERA.

In Seattle, Lee benefited from the spacious fields of Safeco (the fourth-best park in which to pitch in terms of runs scored, according to MLB Park Factors). Texas, however, is the fifth-worst park in which to pitch in terms of runs scored.

Since 2008 (Lee’s Cy Young season), the former Expo, Indian, and Phillie has pitched in Arlington three times. In those three starts as the visiting pitcher, Lee was rocked to the tune of a 7.10 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 19 innings.

It is worth noting, however, that Lee allowed just two runs in nine innings at Rangers Ballpark earlier this season.

Still, a slight drop-off should be expected. Is he still a top-10 pitcher for the remainder of the season? Probably. Top-five? Absolutely not.

Seattle’s big return, switch-hitting first baseman Justin Smoak, will be inserted into the Mariners’ lineup, possibly in the six-hole. His value takes a slight hit playing for an offensively-challenged team in a pitcher’s park.

The potential middle-of-the-order superstar has experienced some tough luck through his first 235 Major League at-bats, falling victim to a .238 BABIP. Smoak’s 23.9 percent line drive rate, however, suggests better days are ahead. (For more on Justin Smoak, including 2010 projections, click here.)

Smoak’s departure opens a spot in the Rangers’ lineup for Chris Davis, who was recalled from Triple-A on Friday. In 293 plate appearances with Oklahoma City this season, the 24-year-old has hit 19 doubles, 10 homers and boasts a .354/.403/.555 triple slash.

While Davis struggled mightily with the Rangers earlier this season, his 2009 second-half performance (six home runs, 26 RBI, .308 average in 133 at-bats) following a short minor league stint could be a sign of things to come.

His raw power is undeniable, but so too are his strikeout totals. He’s worth a cautious look in most leagues.

Blake Beavan is a former first-rounder who—at 6’7″ and 250 pounds—projects as a back-of-the-rotation innings-eater. The 21-year-old owns a 2.78 ERA, a 5.6 K/9 rate, and a 1.0 BB/9 in 110 innings at Double-A this season.

Neither Josh Lueke or Matt Lawson rank among the Rangers’ top-30 prospects according to Baseball America. Lueke boasts ridiculous strikeout and walk rates in 38 1/3 relief innings this season between Single-A and Double-A, but at age 25, his long-term value is bleak. Matt Lawson is a 24-year-old second baseman/outfielder playing in Double-A. He’s a long-shot prospect and shouldn’t be on anyone’s fantasy radar.

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How can a team being run by MLB be allowed to obtain the best pitcher on the market?

Perhaps the answer is when MLB is being run by a commissioner in Bud Selig who is an idiot.

“Everybody knows our situation. When we take on salary, we have to look at that and see if we can justify it within our budget,” team president Nolan Ryan said. “As long as we stay within our budget, we don’t really have restrictions on us to where we can’t do things.”

Even if bankruptcy court allows this, why would MLB allow a team that was so screwed up financially that they had to assume control, to take on additional salary?

“They’ve got the lead in the division and a No. 1 starter,” said an NL assistant general manager. “That’s pretty good for a team in bankruptcy.”

The Texas Rangers are getting the best pitcher in the American League and a proven Yankees-killer, plus, they’ll get two draft picks if Lee doesn’t re-sign with them, and yet the Mariners still have to pay part of his salary to help them win their division.

Now, let’s not discount the value of Justin Smoak, who can be a perennial All-Star first baseman. But aside from Smoak, the Mariners did not get much in return.

The most positive thing about this trade is that Seattle ignored the stupid axiom that you shouldn’t trade within the division.

Still, one has to wonder why a team that is so financially strapped that MLB has to take over gets to acquire the best pitcher on the market.

Maybe it pays to be insolvent.

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Outstanding Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee has been traded to the Texas Rangers.

As part of this deal the Texas Rangers will receive Cliff Lee and Mark Lowe and the Mariners will receive Justin Smoak, Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke, and Matt Lawson.

Cliff Lee was scheduled to start tonight against the New York Yankees but David Pauley will take his place instead.

The Rangers got Lee for a few reasons.

One reason is because they wanted a number one pitcher who can go deep in games and almost guarantee a victory whenever he is on the mound. The Rangers hope he can bring them their first division title in 11 years.

This season Cliff Lee is 8-3 with a 2.34 ERA, and he leads the league in ERA and complete games with five. The Rangers rotation will now be very good with Lee, Colby Lewis, Scott Feldman, Tommy Hunter, and CJ Wilson (with other starters Derek Holland and Rich Harden on the DL).

Their pitching will be very deep and it will be hard to face them if the Rangers make the playoffs along with their outstanding offense in Josh Hamilton, Vlad Guerrero, and Nelson Cruz.

The other player who will join the Texas Rangers is Mark Lowe.

Mark Lowe is currently on the DL and he will miss the entire year with his injury, but he is quite a good pitcher. He was the setup man for the Mariners last year and part of this year and what makes him special is his “stuff.” He has a fastball in the upper 90s and sometimes in the 100s with a slider that many players in the Majors call un-hittable.

Last season he had a 2-7 record with a 3.26 ERA in 80 innings and he also piled up 69 Ks. Lowe could be used as a seventh or eighth inning pitcher, and expect him to do well in the Rangers organization.

The Mariners got quite a bit of good young talent in this deal, too, starting with the highly regarded and talented Justin Smoak.

This season Smoak has not lived up to his hype at all but he is a switch hitting first baseman who is known for having power from both sides of the plate (and he is also known for being a patient hitter).

This season so far he is hitting .209 with 8 home runs and 34 RBI’s in 70 games.

Those numbers do not look very good, but he is only 23 so he has time to get better, and since the Mariners have Russell Branyan this year they do not need to rush him to the majors. Instead, they can give him time to develop in the minors and be a much better hitter when he gets back to the Majors.

Another prospect the mariners got was Blake Beaven.

Beaven was the number one draft pick by the Rangers in 2007 and he has done quite well in double-A. In double-A this year he was 10-5 with a 2.78 ERA in 17 starts and he is about to go up to triple-A so expect to see him maybe this year and definitly next year for the Mariners.

Another pitcher that was chosen by the Mariners was Josh Leuke.

Leuke is a closer who was selected in the 17th round in 2007 and he has done very well in single-A and has done pretty good in double-A, too. In single-A he was 2-1 with 10 saves and a 0.46 ERA in 17 appearances. In double-A he was 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA and two saves.

These double-A stats show that he does not do well with a challenge like moving from an easier league to a more difficult one, so the Mariners might need to give him some time; however, based on his single-A stats he is a good pitcher no matter how long you have to wait for him to come up.

The Final prospect the mariners got in this deal was infielder Matt Lawson.

Lawson is currently in double-A and he has done pretty well there. He was hitting .277 with 16 doubles, seven homers, and 34 RBI in 70 games. He was also selected to play for the Texas League all-star game and he was selected in the 14th round in the 2007 draft.

He looks like a good all around hitter and, in a year or two, he will be in the Majors and we will see if he can produce for the Mariners or not.

The Reds were making a very hard push for Lee but they came up just short because of the offer from the Rangers.

Both teams should be happy because the Rangers finally got a number one pitcher in Lee and the Mariners finally got a power hitting first baseman in Smoak.

This was a great deal which will make Texas good in the present and Seattle a better team in the future.

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Everyone thought Cliff Lee to New York was a done deal.

Well everyone thought wrong.

The Texas Rangers took advantage of a snag in the Yankee trade discussions and have landed the top pitcher on the market according to many sources.

Not having Lee go to the AL East has to bring a huge sigh of relief on the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox.

Now, the Yankees will most likely be unable complete the second part of the deal which had them possibly sending Javier Vasquez to the Phillies for Jayson Werth.

Acquiring Lee did not come easy for Texas. The Rangers have given up a future All-Star first baseman in Justin Smoak.  A hefty price to pay for a rental. 

But give general manager Jon Daniels credit–  He saw an opportunity to go to the big dance and he wasn’t about to go without a fancy dress.

Consider him as dressed as dressed can be.

Texas acquires a guy who has proven he can help them beat the Yankees.  And with their offensive firepower blazing their way to fourth best in the AL for runs scored, Texas has officially become a play-off threat.

It has been a crazy 36 hours in sports.

And it appears New York has been shunned twice in two days in two different sports.

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Well it has happened and it happened within the division, and most Mariner fans are sad to see Cliff Lee go—I would be lying if I said I wasn’t one of them.  

Lee was traded to the Texas Rangers today for Justin Smoak, a few Double-A arms, and a second baseman.

A lot of people are very excited about adding Smoak to the Mariners.

We needed a big, strong, powerful bat—a guy to take over at first base. Surely this does mean that Casey Kotchman is on his way out of town and Smoak will be getting the majority of starts at first from here on out.

I really don’t see that though and I think it would be stupid to have Smoak playing at first immediately.

Smoak has struggled so far this season in a hitter’s ballpark and now is coming to Safeco where good hitters go to die. Why should we expect anymore from Justin Smoak?

All I hear is about his potential, how good he could be, and so on, and so on, and so on.

How many times have the Mariners traded a good to great player and got a guy with a ton of potential or a guy that was projected to be good to great? How many times over and over and over again have the fans been disappointed?

Let’s list some names and just think about them for a moment.

Heathcliff Slocumb.

Butch Huskey.

Kevin Mitchell.

Russ Davis.

I could keep going on and on, but I’ll spare you. We all know the terrible trades of the past. Do I think this one will be better? I have no idea.

We’ll of course have to wait and see, but those in Seattle won’t have to wait very long; Smoak will be in uniform and at Safeco tomorrow.

I can’t say whether he’ll play or not, but maybe a little time in Tacoma would be better—let him gain his confidence back and let him get the bat going again.Tacoma is currently a winner (first place in the Pacific Coast League) and the Mariners, well, they are doing their best to get another top five draft pick.

I would have rather held out a little bit longer for a better package. I think we could have gotten a Dominic Brown from Philadelphia or a better package from the Reds.

The Reds were willing to give up basically their whole farm system to get Lee. The Reds have a lot of good prospects.  The Yankees have some good prospects and the Rays have some of the best prospects.

I hope this is not another “Smoak and mirror” trade with the Mariners and somehow, some way, I hope the Mariners bring back Cliff Lee in the offseason.

Then maybe I’ll feel better about this trade. Until then, I think this is going to be another huge failure.

I’m sorry, I’m from Seattle and you always have to expect the worst, but secretly pray for the best.

At least we’re not as bad as Cleveland.

Yet.

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The Mariners have traded Cliff Lee and injured reliever Mark Lowe for Justin Smoak and three minor leaguers. The minor leaguers are AA pitchers Blake Beavan and Josh Lueke and AA second baseman Matt Lawson.

The Mariners had no choice but to trade Lee after falling well behind in the AL West, and seem to have pulled off a deal that will help the team not only now, but in the future.

Smoak has been the Rangers starting first baseman for a good part of the season and in 235 at bats is hitting .209 with eight homeruns and 34 RBI. Smoak’s numbers aren’t very impressive so far this season, but he is still young, at only 23, and has a lot of potential.

Smoak was the Rangers first round selection in 2008, and is an athletic player who switch hits, and has the ability to hit for power. He gives the Mariners something they have been severely lacking in their lineup, a potential power threat.

Smoak has the ability to develop into a potential number five hitter and was ranked by Baseball America as the number two prospect in the Rangers farm system before the season began, behind only Neftali Feliz.

Smoak was rated as the best hitter for average, best power hitter, and best strike-zone discipline out of all Rangers prospects.

The Mariners also received another former first round selection by adding Beavan.

Beavan was the Rangers first round pick in 2007, and has the potential to be a solid middle of the rotation starter in Seattle.

Beavan was rated as the pitcher with the best command in the Rangers farm system and has only walked 12 batters in 110 innings in AA so far this season. He is a big kid, 6’7″ and 250 pounds, and he is only 21 years old.

Lueke is a pitcher out of the bullpen that could eventually see time in Seattle, with a fastball that is in the mid 90’s and tops out at 97. Lueke has struck out 62 batters in 38.1 innings this year between LoA and AA ball.

The final piece coming to Seattle is second baseman Matt Lawson, a AA prospect who is hitting .277 with seven homeruns and 34 RBI. Lawson has been solid in the field with only six errors on the season and could be a solid utility player for the Mariners down the line.

The Mariners had been rumored to be in talks with the Yankees to receive top prospect Jesus Montero earlier in the day but that deal fell apart based on the other pieces coming Seattle’s way.

The Mariners did a great job using the leverage they gained through talks with the Yankees to get other teams to step up to the plate and make a legitimate offer for Lee. The Rangers finally decided to part with Smoak, which is what Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik had been waiting for all along.

The Mariners got a potential power bat for years to come with good athletic ability for a first baseman, and a pitcher in Beavan who could potentially be in the Mariners rotation for a long time. Prospects are prospects, so you never know, but the Mariners did a great job getting some guys that have the tools to succeed at the Major League level.

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It was nice while it lasted, Angels fans.

With the stunning acquisition of Cliff Lee by the Texas Rangers from AL West rival Seattle, it is time for the Angels to cut their losses and let the fire sale begin.

Not only should this be the nail in the coffin for the Angels, but maybe for the rest of baseball as well. Texas just assured themselves not only a trip to the playoffs, but a real chance to take it all.

Angels fans, don’t feel bad.

Three years in a row was a good run, but now the Angels have a chance to heal, re-tool and try to come up with a plan for next season.

The following players need to be sold to the highest bidder in the next three weeks: Brian Fuentes, Fernando Rodney, Scott Kazmir, Mike Napoli, Brandon Wood (if someone would be willing to give us a fungo bat for him), Bobby Abreu, Hideki Matsui, and Torii Hunter.

Get on it Tony Reagins, and make sure to get a third base prospect that can actually play this time.

Those eight players account for roughly $60.1 million in payroll. None of them have a future in helping the Angels win a championship due to age, performance or injury.

The Angels should trade them all. Get at least one draft pick in each deal and completely reload the organization with talent for another decade.

The Angels should then turn around and sign $60 million in young free agents with which they can build new chemistry around their nucleus.

Congratulations to Texas on that amazing acquisition.

Angels fans can take comfort in the idea that Nolan Ryan may finally get his ring.

An entire nation, with the exception of one certain city, can take even further comfort in knowing that he didn’t go to the New York Yankees—as was reported eminent by Buster Olney of ESPN earlier in the day.

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The Evil Empire might have a lot of championships and money. But they don’t have the 2008 AL Cy Young winner. 

The Texas Rangers acquired starting pitcher Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners for first basemen Justin Smoak, pitchers Blake Beaven and Josh Lueke, and infielder/outfielder Matt Lawson. 

Lee is 8-3 on the season with a phenomenal 2.34 ERA

Seattle traded for Lee in an attempt to send the Mariners to the playoffs, which at the time seemed like a realistic possibility. However, after a miserable start that included the retirement of Ken Griffey Jr., a playoff berth seemed pretty unrealistic. 

The New York Yankees appeared to be the frontrunners after offering up prized catching prospect Jesus Montero. The Minnesota Twins were also believed to be involved. They offered catching prospects as well. 

Obviously, these two deals must not have included much else since the Mariners traded Lee to a division rival.

Lee joins a fairly loaded Rangers roster which includes five All-Stars. Four of the five All -Stars are hitters, though, and reliever Neftali Feliz is the team’s only pitcher headed to Anaheim.

The Rangers have a 5.5 game lead over the Los Angeles Angels for first place in the American League West. Adding Cliff Lee was not only crucial for Texas’ postseason success, but crucial in their bid for October at all. Texas has been notorious for their second half meltdowns over the past few years. 

While Colby Lewis and C.J. Wilson have been superb in the first half, Lee gives the team a true Ace with postseason experience. 

Lee was 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA during last year;s postseason with the Phillies. He was 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA against the New York Yankees in the World Series. 

Can Lee make Texas a postseason favorite? Only time will tell. 

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Only moments after pulling out of an “imminent” deal with New York for lefty ace Cliff Lee, Seattle has reportedly agreed to send Lee along with reliever Mark Lowe to Texas in exchange for first baseman Justin Smoak and three other prospects.

We’ll have to wait and see who the three other prospects are, but this is still a strange move for the Rangers regardless.

With severe financial troubles, the Rangers will be hard pressed to resign Cliff Lee to an extension following the season, so he is most likely a three-month rental.  With the Mariners sending cash that will cover some but not all of Lee’s remaining salary, one might question the Rangers taking on salary when their current financial position does not lend themselves to do so.

With MLB subsidizing the Texas Rangers, is taking on more salary really the smartest idea?

He undoubtedly improves the team, but does his acquisition alone turn the Rangers into a serious World Series contender?  Already the top team in their division, does Lee’s arrival put them on par with New York and Tampa Bay?

Another questionable part of the trade is the fact that Texas will be moving four young pieces within their own division.  Since they made the move, three months of Cliff Lee is obviously worth the twenty-some cost-controlled years they’re giving up in young talent.

Adding one of the game’s best pitchers can’t really be considered a bad move for any team, but a good move isn’t necessarily the right one.

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According to the New York Post ‘s Joel Sherman, Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee will be traded to the Texas Rangers along with pitcher Mark Lowe in exchange for first base prospect Justin Smoak and three other players.

The Rangers will be Lee’s fourth team in two seasons, and the acquisition of the Mariners ace and 2010 AL All-Star ostensibly puts the Rangers in the pole position for the AL West division crown.

Lowe is said to be missing the rest of the season with back surgery, which makes the acquisition odd, but the Mariners are also said to be sending the Rangers cash.  Buster Olney of ESPN reports the Mariners will be sending the Rangers upwards of $2 million, which is another curious aspect of this trade.

The Rangers, who play in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in all of baseball at The Ballpark in Arlington, haven’t had a legitimate major league ace since, perhaps, Nolan Ryan in the early 1990s.  The Rangers have seen big-name pitchers come to Texas and get shellacked, namely, Kevin Millwood, Chan Ho Park, and Rich Harden.

If any pitcher were going to succeed in Texas, though, it would be Lee, an extremely good control pitcher who doesn’t walk batters and doesn’t give up home runs.  Lee could be exactly what the Rangers need to put them over the top in 2010 and, potentially, beyond.

Whether the Rangers will be able to retain Lee after the season, of course, will depend on the Rangers’ much publicized bankruptcy proceedings in Texas.

That Smoak would be the key piece of the puzzle for the Mariners is interesting, as Smoak—a highly touted prospect in the Rangers’ system—has had a miserable time hitting for the Rangers, even in their hitter-friendly ballpark.  Moving from hitter-friendly Arlington to pitcher-friendly Safeco Field might have an adverse impact on Smoak’s development.

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