[Trade] Smoak for Cliff Lee

[Kingdom]

Sources: Texas Rangers get Cliff Lee from Seattle Mariners for Justin Smoak - ESPN Dallas

Justin Smoak and 3 minor leaguers (Blake Beavan and 2 others) for Lee and Mark Lowe is the early report.

[Kingdom]

If this ends up the case, Seattle gets a tremendous power hitting prospect and who knows what else. That's a win for them. Texas gets an ace to head up Tommy Hunter and CJ Wilson, win for them. Go Nolan Ryan?

[DirtyKash]

I was thinking of picking up Chris Davis in this fantasy league, but then I remembered how much he sucks ass.

[realmofotalk]

The Angels are officially done for the season.

[Kingdom]

I was thinking of picking up Chris Davis in this fantasy league, but then I remembered how much he sucks ass.

He's great in a league where you get points for strikeouts.... hyuk

[Foster]

5:07pm: A Mariners' team press release makes the deal and trade package official: Lee, Lowe and cash considerations go to Texas, while Beavan, Lawson, Lueke and Smoak go to Seattle.

Rangers Acquire Cliff Lee: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

By the sounds of this everyone is a winner...
Reactions To The Cliff Lee Trade: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

I really like the trade for Texas. I think Lee was the best player available, and his performance in the WS last year goes to show it.

[realmofotalk]

No shit. Any team that gets Cliff Lee is a winner. At any rate, Seattle made out just fine with their rental of Lee in getting Justin Smoak, who alone is better than Cleveland's entire haul of Carlos Carrasco, Jason Knapp, Jason Donald, and Lou Marson.

[Kingdom]

This is true. Philly fleeced Cleveland without having to give up one of their top prospects Drabek or Brown. Seattle made sure not to do the same. Blake Beavan sounds promising too.

[Porter]

Its funny how Yankees fans (mainly Giantsfan) on facebook are reacting to this deal. I was convinced Lee was going to be a Yankees when I drove into work at 1 PM PST. When I go on lunch, he becomes a Ranger. To believe that the M's only dealt Aumont and some other prospect to acquire Lee. To get that haul was fantastic.

[Kingdom]

And the yankee fans but they're really just bandwagon fans are reacting the same. They were extremely excited, calling Burnett and Vazquez crap. And then it fell through, now it's.. Burnett will be fine, we'll deal Vazquez for something more useful.

Douchebags.

[missionhockey21]

Really, what a shocking move. I love inter-division trades like this. The Rangers resigning Lee would be next to impossible so it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Lee is a big game pitcher, and a damn good one at that, but if the Rangers fail to make it to any big games and if Smoak pans out to be a star... I wonder how it will be viewed then.

Anyway, I agree with the sentiments in this thread. The Indians unfortunately were robbed last season as Lee was being treated like the store brand cola sitting next to Coke/Pepsi (Halladay) last season. Cheaper and okay, if you can't get the name brand. It's funny it took two trades, and Lee with the least "guaranteed" time left on contract, to get a decent haul for him. This trade makes absolute sense for both the Rangers and Mariners.

[redsfan28]

I still say a Reds package consisting of Yonder Alonzo, Juan Francisco, Matt Maloney, and Devin Mesoraco would have gotten the job done and wouldn't have hurt the Reds all that much in the future.

[browntown653]

I applaud Texas for being bold on what's likely nothing more than a midseason rental. I think the Rangers are the 3rd out of 4 teams in the AL playoff pecking order (whichever 2 out of the AL East 1st and 2nd) but Lee is as good a postseason pitcher you could throw out there as anyone in baseball. I think the Rangers will eventually be ALCS bound after this.

[realmofotalk]

Lueke, one of the players the Mariners acquired in the trade, had served a prison stint for having sex with an unconscious woman.

[Kingdom]

Surprised the Cincinnati Bengals didn't bring him to be a QB or something. I don't think that's an offense they've explored yet.