Seattle Mariners

How can a team being run by MLB be allowed to obtain the best pitcher on the market?

Perhaps the answer is when MLB is being run by a commissioner in Bud Selig who is an idiot.

"Everybody knows our situation. When we take on salary, we have to look at that and see if we can justify it within our budget," team president Nolan Ryan said. "As long as we stay within our budget, we don't really have restrictions on us to where we can't do things."

Well it has happened and it happened within the division, and most Mariner fans are sad to see Cliff Lee go—I would be lying if I said I wasn’t one of them.  

Lee was traded to the Texas Rangers today for Justin Smoak, a few Double-A arms, and a second baseman.

A lot of people are very excited about adding Smoak to the Mariners.

The Mariners have traded Cliff Lee and injured reliever Mark Lowe for Justin Smoak and three minor leaguers. The minor leaguers are AA pitchers Blake Beavan and Josh Lueke and AA second baseman Matt Lawson.

The Mariners had no choice but to trade Lee after falling well behind in the AL West, and seem to have pulled off a deal that will help the team not only now, but in the future.

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

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. 

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 t

It was reported yesterday that the Twins made a concrete offer of 22-year-old catcher Wilson Ramos and 20-year-old outfielder Aaron Hicks for the Mariners’ Cliff Lee. If true, it’s a good starting place for negotiations. The Twins will likely have to offer at least one more prospect to get Lee.

With just a few weeks to go before Major League Baseball's trade deadline, the hottest name on the rumor sheets is Seattle left-hander Cliff Lee, who has turned in one brilliant performance after another lately.

Only one problem: The Mariners have yet to make him officially available.