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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

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

The All-Star Game rosters usually have a way of working themselves out. Usually at the end of the day, thanks to injuries and whatnot, the players who are supposed to be there get there.

Two closers who many felt were snubbed when the original rosters were announced have found their way into the game.

With Milwaukee Brewers RHP Yovani Gallardo and New York Yankees RHP Mariano Rivera pulling themselves from the game, San Diego Padres closer Heath Bell and Tampa Bay Rays closer Rafael Soriano have been named to the NL and AL rosters respectively.

Most people make way too big a deal about the drop-off players experience after participating in the Home Run Derby. It’s more likely statistical regression than anything else.

Nevertheless, Yankee coaches did not want Robinson Cano participating in this year’s Home Run Derby, and it looks like they are getting their way.

White Sox starter Jake Peavy was pulled from the game during the second inning with an apparent arm injury.

After throwing a pitch, Peavy wandered off the mound and appeared to be shaking his right arm. He was replaced by Tony Pena.

I'm not going to speculate on what the injury actually is (other than that it appeared to be in the lower arm area) or the severity of it, but this could be a major blow for the White Sox. Peavy has been their hottest starter of late, posting a 1.75 ERA in the month of June.

L.A. Angels ace Jered Weaver was officially named to the American League All-Star team this afternoon, according to MLB.com and confirmed by the Angels.

Weaver will be replacing New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia, who manager Joe Girardi says will not be able to pitch due to the way their rotation schedule is playing out.

Weaver will probably not be able to pitch for the same reason, unless tonight's game against the Chicago White Sox is postponed. The game is currently in a 45-minute rain delay.