Cliff Lee is owed a guaranteed $75 million over the next three years, and the chances of him returning to the Texas Rangers in a trade "are less than one percent," a source was quoted as saying, wrote MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
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The Rangers want Lee, of course, but they want the Phillies to pick up a sizeable portion of what's left on Lee's contract, and the Phillies are hesitant to do that.
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Lee will earn $25 million in each of the next three years and has a $27.5 million club option on his deal for 2016, with a $12.5 million buyout.
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The 2016 option is guaranteed if: Lee is not on the DL at the end of the 2015 season with a left elbow or left shoulder injury; he pitches 200 innings in 2015; or he pitches a combined 400 innings in 2014 and 2015 combined.
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The Rangers remain active on the trade front, Sullivan noted, and could land Jonathan Broxton, Rafael Betancourt, or Brandon League to stabilize their bullpen.
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Lee won't end up with the Dodgers or the Yankees, because of financial reasons, tweeted FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. And when those two teams are scared off by Lee's contract, you begin to wonder who wouldn't be.
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Don't expect the Cardinals to make a move for Lee, tweeted Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. Even if the Phillies kicked in money, a deal probably wouldn't get done.
