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It looks as if the “superteam” in baseball will not have the best pitching rotation. According to ESPN, talks between the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees over Cliff Lee have broken down. 

Lee, a dominant lefty, was scheduled to be traded to the New York Yankees and the deal looked all but finalized. 

This afternoon, however, talks have stalled after the Mariners became concerned over second baseman David Adams’ health. Adams is currently dealing with a sprained ankle and is not playing. 

The deal seemed to please everyone. The Yankees get another star to add to their rotation, and to pitch alongside CC Sabathia, A.J Burnett, Phil Hughes, and Andy Pettitte.

The Mariners were going to acquire David Adams, a young prospect, and catcher Jesus Montero, who is currently one of the best prospects in baseball.

Although the talks have stalled for now, their is still a chance the Yankees can finalize a deal if they offer another prospect. Other interested teams are the Rangers, Twins, and Rays.

Lee is scheduled to take the hill tonight opposite of Phil Hughes for what will surely be a good pitchers’ duel. 

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A rumored deal that would send Mariner’s star lefty Cliff Lee to the Yankees for top prospect Jesus Montero, along with infielder David Adams and pitcher Zach McAlister, is apparently off.

The Mariners have allegedly balked due to concerns over David Adams bad ankle, which he injured breaking up a double play while at Double-A Trenton about a month ago.

Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik will almost certainly move his All-Star starter. But with more than three weeks left until the trade deadline, Zduriencik will take his time to find the best offer.

It may be difficult for him to land a prospect better than the Yankees’ Montero. A unanimous top five prospect at the beginning of the season, Montero has fought his way through a tough adjustment to the Triple-A level and doubts about his ability to remain at catcher long-term.

As a 20-year old, Montero is one of the youngest players at his level, so his offensive struggles can be understood. And while his defense has improved, many scouts still see him eventually moving off the position. All that said, Montero’s offensive potential is worth quite a lot.

The Rangers are rumored to have intensified their pursuit of Lee, but with their financial troubles, they’re in no position to add salary. Unless Seattle agrees to pay Lee’s entire salary in return for more and better prospects, a deal with Texas is unlikely.

The Reds are also rumored to be going all-out to acquire Lee. But Yonder Alonso, the seventh overall pick in 2008, hasn’t impressed much with the bat or glove this season and has some alarming red flags.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman kept his negotiations with Seattle close to the chest and preferred to strike a deal quickly, while Seattle had other ideas.

Zduriencik should absolutely explore all his options for trading Lee. But if the Yankees offer was for a limited-time only, he may regret turning it down.  

With three weeks left until the trade deadline, he has plenty of time to shop around, and play one offer against another.

But the chance to acquire a top five prospect isn’t something he’s likely to find elsewhere.

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Fox Sports is reporting that trade talks between Seattle and New York have stalled.

A source says that Seattle is concerned about David Adams’ health, and that led them to ask for more.

The Yankees are unwilling to accommodate that request, and the two teams are at a standstill.

The Reds have begun to intensify their talks with the Mariners now, and the Rangers are also lingering.

Reports that a deal to the Yankees is imminent may have been a little premature

Lee remains scheduled to pitch tonight. By then we will surely know more.

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Update: (2:28pm CDT) The player to be named later, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan, is minor leaguer Blake Beaven.

Update: (2:25pm CDT) The players involved in the deal to Seattle are Justin Smoak and minor leaguers Josh Lueke, Matt Lawson and one other player to be named later. The player to be named later, and this is just speculation, could be pitcher Derek Holland or possibly minor league pitcher Tanner Scheppers. 

Update: (4:15pm CDT) ESPN’s Buster Olney on the trade talks between the Mariners and Yankees falling apart. “The Yankees and Mariners had actually had an agreement-in-principle, based on the physicals and SEA stepped away, which is all fair game.”

Update: (4:00pm CDT) Joel Sherman of the NY Post, via Twitter, reports that the deal is done and that Cliff Lee is headed to the Texas Rangers.

The players involved are Justin Smoak, pitcher Mark Lowe, and three other players that haven’t been named yet.

Update: (3:53pm CDT) Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that it’s a two team race between the Rangers and the Reds for Cliff Lee.

Update: (3:45pm CDT) Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, via Twitter, says that Justin Smoak is not in the lineup tonight for the Texas Rangers. Could be just a coincidence or a matchup move.

Could this mean that the Rangers are close to a deal?

Update: (3:35pm CDT) Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, via Twitter, says that the Cincinnati Reds could be the other team that is a dark horse for Cliff Lee.

Update: (3:22pm CDT) ESPN’s Buster Olney, “Rangers are back on Lee. Hard to imagine Texas making this deal happen without Justin Smoak being part of the deal.”

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News had a source tell him, “There will be a battle royale over this if Texas gets Lee. Every other team in baseball is supplementing the Rangers right now, so they have no business taking on Lee’s salary.”  

Update: (3:10pm CDT) Joel Sherman of the NY Post, via Twitter, is confirming that the mystery team in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes is in fact the Texas Rangers. Stay tuned, this could get interesting.

Update: (3:05pm CDT) ESPN’s Buster Olney updates the situation via Twitter. “The Yankees had hoped to strike aggressively, strike quickly, and get a resolution to this. But Seattle might still be shopping for an alternative.”

Update: (3:00pm CDT) Joel Sherman says, via Twitter, “To repeat the Yankees aren’t getting Cliff Lee, Mariners concerned about David Adams ankle plus apparently another team has jumped in hard.”

Update: (2:55pm CDT) On 105.3 FM The Fan in Dallas, Gregg Henson was tipped off that Rangers’ general manager Jon Daniels was supposed to have a chat session with one of the local news outlets and had to miss it.

Now whether or not that means that the mystery team is the Rangers we don’t know, it could be purely speculation. We’ll have to wait and see.

Update: (2:50pm CDT) ESPN’s Buster Olney, via Twitter, chimes in and says that big concerns over the players involved seems to have killed the Yankees proposed deal.

Just when we thought this was going to be another ho-hum trade for the New York Yankees to land another Cy Young award winner, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the deal is off.

Sherman, via Twitter, reports that the Mariners are concerned over second baseman David Adams’ ankle and says another team has apparently jumped in hard.

About an hour ago, ESPN had reported that the deal was “done” between the Mariners and Yankees and that Lee was no a member of the New York Yankees. Seems ESPN can’t save face after the debacle last night with LeBron James and now has misinformation on this deal as well.

There is more news to come and we’ll update it as the news continues to pour in.

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Just 24 hours ago, it seemed that the Twins, Reds, and Rangers were the top three teams in the chase for Seattle left-hander Cliff Lee.

Now, on Friday morning, it looks like the New York Yankees have jumped full force into the chase and are the heavy favorites to land him, according to several sources including Joel Sherman of the New York Post and Jon Heyman of SI.com.

Yesterday, Buster Olney said the Yankees could get involved if they wanted to, but it looked unlikely that they were going to make any kind of push at all.

Here’s a breakdown on where talks are now with each team that is still in the race and until a deal is announced, each of these teams is still in the hunt.

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Now let’s look at the American League Central and the trade deadline needs of the buyers in this division. Going into last night’s games, three teams were separated by a game and a half. A player acquisition by any of the contenders could decide the division.

Here are the trade deadline needs of the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, and Chicago White Sox…

Record:46-37, first place in AL Central

Needs: Bullpen, Shortstop, Starting Rotation

The Tigers have been a very consistent team all year and have jumped past the Twins in the AL Central. But heading towards the trade deadline, the Tigers could use a couple of things.

The first thing they could use is a shortstop who is an upgrade over Ramon Santiago and Danny Worth.

A couple of guys that come to mind are Miguel Tejada (move back to short), Cesar Izturis, or Alex Gonzalez. The Tigers have talked about Stephen Drew, but I would be surprised if they could pry him from Arizona.

With the season ending injury to Joel Zumaya, the Tigers really could use a power righty out of the ‘pen. I also feel they could some starting rotation depth.

In a playoff series, do the Tigers really trust Max Scherzer or Jeremy Bonderman in games two and three? I don’t think they will be in on Cliff Lee, but I have always felt they have been a sleeper for Roy Oswalt.

Potential Targets: Roy Oswalt, Miguel Tejada, Cesar Izturis, Alex Gonzalez, Stephen Drew, Yunel Escobar, David Aardsma, Kyle Farnsworth, Matt Capps

Chicago White Sox

Record:46-38, second in AL Central. Third in Wild Card

Needs: Starting Pitching, DH

The White Sox went from a season that was headed to the garbage to a team that has legit playoff aspirations.

But losing Jake Peavy for perhaps the season was a big blow to the Pale Hose. Now I feel they really need another starter.

The White Sox could be in play for Oswalt as well. Oswalt and Peavy are very tight, so I would imagine Oswalt would approve a trade to Chicago if something went down.

The White Sox could desperately use a better option at DH. Mark Kotsay or Andruw Jones is just not going to cut it. Recently, the White Sox have been linked to Adam Dunn.

Potential Targets: Roy Oswalt, Adam Dunn, Jose Guillen, Aubrey Huff (if Giants become sellers), Xavier Nady, Luke Scott

Minnesota Twins

Record:45-30, third in the AL Central. Fourth in Wild Card

Needs: Starting Pitching, Power Bullpen Arm, Third Base

These aren’t your father’s Minnesota Twins. Gone are the days when the Twins were known as a frugal franchise. Now, they are in it to win it every season.

The Twins need two things headed towards the deadline—starting pitching and a power bullpen arm. When I say a starting pitching, I mean an ace.

Francisco Liriano would be a solid Game 1 starter, but he would be even a better No.2. Guys like Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn, and Scott Baker pitch too much to contact to be reliable in the postseason. That is why the Twins need an ace like Lee.

The Twins could also use another power in arm in the pen. I like Matt Guerrier, but he is not a strikeout guy. The Twins need a guy who can come in during a cold October night and just blow people away.

Potential Targets: Cliff Lee, Dan Haren, Ted Lilly, David Aardsma, Todd Coffey, Miguel Tejada, Craig Counsell, Mike Lowell

I know I said there would be a double dip of trade deadline needs today, but I will cover the American League West tomorrow.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, the Yankees have become the front runners in a deal for Cliff Lee as the two teams are “on the brink” of making a deal involving catcher Jesus Montero.

Here is more from the Post:

Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik have been in constant contact over the last week, but it was only last night that the Seattle GM told Yankees officials he wanted to move quickly, possibly before the All-Star break next week.

The Yanks were not assured of obtaining Lee since other clubs such as the Mets, Twins, and Rangers were in talks.

Related Stories

• July 8, 2010 — Yankees Trade Rumors: Seattle Asking Montero + for Cliff Lee (0)
• July 7, 2010 — Yankees Trade Rumors: In On Cliff Lee if Price is Right (1)
• June 9, 2010 — Yankees Trade Rumors: M’s Anticipate Dealing Lee to Yanks (3)
• April 19, 2010 — Minor League Monday: April 19th, 2010 (6)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Mike Axisa of River Ave Blues came up with a crazy idea for a trade that I don’t think is so crazy: Javier Vazquez to the Phillies for Jayson Werth . Furthermore, the trade would open up a spot in the rotation for the Yankees to land Cliff Lee .

It all started with these (two ) tweets from Buster Olney of ESPN:

Heard this: The Phillies are casting a wide net and talking with a lot of teams about possible matches for Jayson Werth. They continue to look for a proven starting pitcher who could be a No. 2 or No. 3 type of guy.

That lead to the idea that the Yankees could trade Vazquez for Werth. The Phillies need a pitcher and Vazquez fits the bill as they are not looking for an ace type. The Yankees don’t necessarily need to give up Vazquez, but they do have four strong starters to fall back on and a need for a bat.

This could also net the Yankees a pair of first round draft picks at the end of the season. Both Werth and Vazquez are Type-A free agents, but the Yankees aren’t likely to offer Vazquez arbitration. On the other hand, the Yankees have three solid outfielders and Werth will likely look for a multi-year deal. That could lead to an arbitration offer rejected and draft picks for the Yankees.

Cliff Lee could tie into this entire thing because with an open rotation spot ,the Yankees might be more motivated to deal for Lee. If they thought they could get a pair of draft picks for Werth it might make the idea of dealing prospects for Lee easier to stomach.

This is a longshot, both trading Vazquez for Werth and trading for Lee. It will also cost the Yankees a lot of prospects, but with Werth and Lee added to this roster the Bombers would be one mean team when it comes to the playoffs. A 28th World Series might just fall into place.

Related Stories

• July 8, 2010 — Yankees Trade Rumors: Seattle Asking Montero + for Cliff Lee (0)
• July 7, 2010 — Yankees Trade Rumors: In On Cliff Lee if Price is Right (0)
• July 6, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Recap, Aceves, Sanchez, Pettitte, and Braden (2)
• June 13, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Thames, Huffman, Posada, and Vazquez (0)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There has been significant movement in the Cliff Lee trade drama over the last 48 hours, and just when it seemed like the Tampa Bay Rays had moved in as the front runners, a new team has emerged.

While there are more than five teams that are all jockeying for position, there is one team that is working hard to get a deal done and has spoken with the Mariners about possible players that could be involved.

ESPN’s Jayson Starks says the Mariners are telling teams that it’s going to take two blue-chip prospects and a third young player to get a deal done.

We’ll go through each team that is in the running and who this new front runner is, as well as what players might be involved.

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Cliff Lee to the Yankees! Prince Fielder to the Giants! Dan Haren to the Cardinals! Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox!

As the 2010 Trade Deadline approaches—and speculation runs rampant regarding this year’s potential blockbuster deals—we should temper the frenzy by revisiting the decade’s biggest blockbuster busts.

Every fan hopes his team’s general manager will venture into the trade market and go all-in on a mammoth bat or a top-of-the-rotation ace—a difference maker who will carry his team to the playoff promised land.

Yet, as many of these monster trades successfully shift the balance of power and launch the buyers on a powerful postseason run, just as many prove impotent and meaningless.

An aging star fails to produce. A rising star has already reached his zenith. Prospects hastily dealt today mature into the All Stars of tomorrow.

Woe to the team that deals away a future MVP for an early exit in the division series. Woe to the general manager that mortgages his franchise’s future for a late-season rental who just can’t deliver.

These are the 5 Biggest Blockbuster Busts of the Decade.

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