The Phillies have a pair of veteran left-handed starters on big contracts whose names have swirled in trade rumors this season, but that doesn't mean they value them equally.
CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reports Friday the team's preference is to move Cliff Lee ahead of Cole Hamels. Lee is recovering from an elbow injury but should be back in the next few weeks, and the team has a much lower asking price for him than Hamels at this point. Hamels is also considered more likely to utilize the no-trade clause in his contract than Lee, with both players having at least 20 teams they cannot be traded to without prior notification.
Hamels has a 2.93 ERA and 3-5 record on the season, while Lee was at 4-4 with a 3.18 mark prior to his injury, which has kept him out since mid-May. It is not clear at this point if any deal is imminent.