The Philadelphia Phillies most likely would have taken a long look at trading left-handed starting pitcher Cliff Lee at the July 31st deadline if it had been an option.
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If not in July, then the Phillies would have moved on to look at potential August deals with trade partners that would be willing to eat some excess salary. Unfortunately injuries derailed Lee’s season and therefore any possibilities of trading him.
Grumblings had emerged that Lee’s season might be near its end after he re-injured his pitching elbow last week, and another sign of that fact came about on Wednesday. A pretty definitive sign, in fact.
As passed along by Todd Zolecki and Austin Laymance of MLB.com:
"His locker inside the Phillies’ clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park had been completely cleared out before Wednesday’s game against the Astros. He is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left elbow, and he is going to rest at home.It is unclear when Lee is getting an MRI on his elbow, if he has not had one already. But his season is finished."
The only reasonable interpretation of an empty locker would be that the season is over, and sure enough that is the case.
Now things get complicated for the Phillies. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, here is the year-by-year breakdown of the money left on Lee’s deal: a $25 million hit in 2015 and a $12.5 million buyout in 2016 that would presumably exercised in lieu of paying Lee $27.5 million.
Even with such hefty figures, the Phillies could have conceivably gotten out from under that deal in a trade if Lee had been able to pitch and pitch well this season. Now they will try to get Lee right for next season and explore the challenging possibility of trading him when he will be more of a rental option for some contending team.