Kuzul

The Boston Red Sox may need an additional starting pitcher down the stretch, and Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee is one name that could come up in conversation. Lee is a name that the Red Sox have considered in the past but have never been able to acquire. This past December, Boston offered to send center field Jacoby Ellsbury to the Phillies in exchange for Lee, but the Phillies rejected it, according to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly (h/t WEEI): According to multiple sources, the Red Sox approached the Phillies about a Jacoby Ellsbury for Cliff Lee deal and were told that Lee was not available, ... The Phils won’t break up their Lee-Cole Hamels-Roy Halladay trio. (Check back in July if the team is not in contention. It’s not July yet, but it’s not too early to start thinking about what could happen over the next two months. The ...

Who's the hottest pitcher in the majors? There's Yu Darvish, the Texas Rangers right-hander who nearly threw a perfect game his first time out. Or maybe it's Atlanta Braves lefty Paul Maholm, who is 3-0 and has thrown 20.1 scoreless innings.But we can't forget about Matt Harvey, the New York Mets righty who's the first pitcher since 1900 to win each of his first three starts while notching 25 strikeouts and allowing six or fewer hits, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Indeed, no pitcher in baseball is off to a hotter start right now—or maybe ever—than Harvey.Each of those three hurlers has been Cy Young-worthy so far, but frankly, it seems way too early for any award discussion. Or is it?Which brings us to the question: Do Cy Young winners always get off to hot starts?When we explored whether Most Valuable Players always get off to hot starts, the answer ...

If it became a movie, Cliff Lee's Philadelphia story would be a romantic comedy with scenes of brilliant light and unbearable darkness.The first time the Phillies dealt for Lee, in 2009, the deal was viewed as "adding another top starter to join Cole Hamels," per ESPN.com.No one could have known, though, that it would be Lee and not Hamels who would be the unhittable one in the 2009 playoffs.In five postseason starts, Lee went 4-0 in 40.1 innings pitched. He gave up seven earned runs in that entire postseason.So, naturally, the Phillies did what any sensible club would do with a pitcher who had done what Lee just did.They traded him to Seattle.History has proven this trade to be as dumb as it seemed at the time. None of the pieces the Phillies received in return (right-hander Phillippe Aumont, outfielder Tyson Gillies and right-hander Juan Ramirez) have the look of ...

The Philadelphia Phillies still need an outfielder. The Boston Red Sox could still use another starting pitcher. While those two situations exist during the offseason, those who follow and cover MLB will try to connect dots and speculate that a trade between the Phillies and Red Sox involving Cliff Lee and Jacoby Ellsbury would be a good idea. Curt Schilling—who pitched for both teams in his 20-year major league career—is one such person, suggesting on Twitter that the Phillies give the Red Sox a call and try to make this deal happen. As you might imagine, that stirred up Boston sports talk radio. Could this trade really happen? At this point, such rumors look like total speculation, trying to play matchmaker between two teams that could seemingly help each other. As the weather gets colder throughout the country, it's an attempt to keep baseball's hot stove season burning. Neither side seems interested in making ...

There is a unique feeling for Philadelphia fans entering the 2013 season.  Much of the talent that helped the team win 102 games in 2011 remains, but the bitter taste of the 2012 season remains strong.  Ruben Amaro has quietly filled the team's needs, avoiding the flashy free-agent signing or blockbuster trade that has marked seasons past.  The team appears poised to compete, but there is more uncertainty surrounding this team than there has been in many years. With the competition growing increasingly fierce, the Phillies will need to perform up to potential all season long to have a chance to compete in the NL East.  A lot can happen over the course of 162 games and this slideshow will outline some of the key events that I believe will mark the upcoming season. So without further ado, here are my 7 bold predictions for the Phillies' 2013 season.Begin Slideshow

Most nights, for an inning or so, it all still makes sense—the Philadelphia Phillies still look like the Phillies. Friday night's game, for example, saw Roy Halladay take the ball.  He gave up a solo home run to Carlos Beltran in the first inning, but after that he was really excellent and never in any serious trouble. Just how you remember it.  The Phillies' first four batters in the game were Jimmy Rollins, Juan Pierre, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.  Four legitimate major league baseball players, two former National League Most Valuable Players.  Or to put it another way, an aggregate of over $47 million in salary to four hitters. Save for the occasions when Jonathan Papelbon ($11 million) comes in at the end of the game (as he did Friday night), that is where the similarities to the Phillies you remember ends. After Howard on Friday night, the next ...

Cliff Lee has been claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and now the Phillies must allow their star lefty to walk for the sake of financial flexibility.   According to a report from CBS, the Dodgers claimed Lee off of Waivers on Saturday. However, according to Jayson Stark, Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says "he isn't going anywhere." This may sound good to Phillies fans, but it’s terrible for the long term. A Lee trade would've allowed Philadelphia to shed the $95 million remaining on his contract, while also restocking the farm system. Even if the Dodgers declined to trade for the lefty, just letting him go would've allowed the team some much needed financial flexibility—the Phillies have the second highest payroll in MLB. With the recent re-signing of Cole Hamels, Philadelphia now has four players making over $20 million a season—an outrageous total considering that the Phillies sit 13.5 ...

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Philadelphia Phillies recently waived starting pitcher Cliff Lee’s contract. Shortly after these reports were made public, other reports surfaced that Lee had been claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. But, what does this mean? Essentially, Lee was waived to gauge interest from other clubs. In cases like this, the GM who waives a particular player is not necessarily trying to move the player. Rather, he is seeing what he could get for that player if he were to try to move him. Cliff Lee is owed $85M. From the looks of things, Philadelphia Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. is selling off high-priced players he doesn’t believe can be the contributors they once were, or contributors that he can use to keep the Phillies in contention. Reportedly, the Los Angeles Dodgers claimed Cliff Lee. Now, they can work out a trade with the Phillies. ...

It's time for a crazy trade idea with less than 10 days left until the trade deadline.We know the New York Yankees and their GM Brian Cashman would prefer not to make a deal between now and July 31.But, if an opportunity presents itself to Cashman and the Yankees even he knows he would look into it.There's been quite a few rumors going around that Cliff Lee of the Phillies could be on the block and could be traded, again.He was traded twice at the deadline back in 2009 and 2010 in deals that shaped the Phillies and Rangers postseason hopes. With Lee, both teams reached the World Series.With the Phillies falling slowly out of the playoff race with each loss, they have some nice trade chips on their team that they can shed.Shane Victorino is likely to be dealt, as could Hunter Pence. Cole Hamels was rumored to be ...

The Texas Rangers are already one of the top teams in baseball, but if they can find a way to add Cliff Lee to their rotation before the trade deadline, they will officially become the favorite to win the World Series.With the Rangers in the market to add another quality starter before the deadline, Lee makes a lot of sense as an addition. And as Jim Salisbury of CSN reported, the Rangers had a scout in attendance for Lee's last start with the Phillies in Los Angeles. Top Rangers scout in attendance for Phils-Dodgers (Lee vs. Kershaw) today. Interesting.— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyCSN) July 18, 2012 The Rangers traded for Lee back in 2010, a move that led to a World Series appearance before Lee chose to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies the next season. However, the Phillies have surprisingly tanked this season and should be sellers as the trade deadline approaches. Lee ...