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After blocking a trade to the Angels near the July trade deadline, Derrek Lee has accepted a deal that sends him to the Braves in exchange for three young pitchers.
After a morning of rumor and speculation, the Braves and the Cubs have agreed to a deal that will send first baseman Derrek Lee to Atlanta:
Deal done: Lee to #Braves for three pitching prospects. #Cubs #MLB
Ken Rosenthal
Ken_Rosenthal
With the Braves, the streaking Lee will step right into the lineup and force the slumping Troy Glaus either to the disabled list or the bench. Glaus has been dealing with knee soreness for quite some time, now, and his batting numbers reflect it.
There's no word yet on the identities of the prospects headed for Chicago, but it is unlikely that any of them will be high-end talents, given the salary-dump nature of the move. Along with Lee, the Cubs will be sending cash to cover his salary.
In an interesting twist, the Braves play the Cubs at Wrigley Field this coming weekend.
It certainly looks now like today's rumored Derrek Lee trade is going to go down. Says Bob Nightengale:
The Atlanta Braves are on the verge of acquiring first baseman Derrek Lee from the Chicago Cubs and hope to have the deal finalized by this afternoon, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The only thing holding up the deal is Lee's back problems. He had an injection in the epidural of his lower back to ease discomfort from a bulging disk on Monday and missed the last two games.
Lee's back is a legitimate concern and must be given its due diligence, but if and when Lee checks out, the trade should happen quickly, and the Braves should have a new first baseman in short order.
Back around July trade deadline time, Derrek Lee invoked his veteran rights to block a trade to the Angels. It seems history will not repeat itself this time around with the Braves.
Lee is apparently willing to sign off on the deal. The big issue now is which players Chicago will receive in return.
Jerry Crasnick
jcrasnick
Adds Ken Rosenthal:
Glaus could be placed on DL if #Braves acquire Lee. Also told that Lee has signaled willingness to waive no-trade rights. #Cubs #MLBKen Rosenthal
Ken_Rosenthal
If the issue is Chicago's trade return, then that hurdle should be overcome with relative ease - the team cannot realistically be looking for much more than salary relief.
Lee, who had a .694 OPS as late as July 8th, has been on a tear ever since, with eight doubles, six homers, and a .317 average in his last 25 games.
Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee is attracting interest from the Atlanta Braves and the two teams are nearing a trade, reports CSN Chicago's David Kaplan:
As a 10-5 man (10 years in the major leagues and the last five with the same team) Lee has the right to reject a trade as he did when the Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim tried to acquire him in late July. However, sources close to Lee tell us that he will approve a deal to Atlanta because the Braves are leading their division thus giving him a shot at winning another World Series ring.
Our Braves blog, Talking Chop, offers some additional perspective on the possible trade:
The deal would not involve any major Braves prospects, but Atlanta would likely pick up much of the remaining salary on Lee. The only hold-up is apparently the Braves concern over Lee's troubled back, which has led him to miss the last few games. Lee is a free agent after this season.
Lee has hit .313 with a .939 OPS since the All-Star break while Troy Glaus has hit just .196 with a .595 OPS since the break. Clearly this would be a rip and replace kind of deal, with the Braves hoping to benefit from a rejuvenated Derrek Lee.
Presumably, the move would relegate first baseman Troy Glaus to the bench. After a disappointing start to his 2010 season, Glaus recovered early in the summer, only to enter another slump as of late. Regardless, if Lee joins the Braves, he doesn't figure to be a long-term installment, as highly-touted first base prospect Freddie Freeman figures to be called up sooner rather than later.
Lee, 35, has been with the Cubs since 2004.
For more on this possible trade, check out our Braves blog, Talking Chop, and our Cubs blog, Bleed Cubbie Blue.
Cubs Get Robinson Lopez, Tyrelle Harris, Jeffrey Lorick From Braves For Derrek Lee
Immediately after reporting that Derrek Lee has been traded to the Braves, Ken Rosenthal comes up with the names of the pitchers going the other way:
Three young pitchers to #Cubs: RH Robinson Lopez, RH Tyrelle Harris, LH Jeffrey Lorick. #Braves #MLBless than a minute ago via txt
Ken Rosenthal
Ken_Rosenthal
Lopez is a 19 year old righty who's worked out of both the rotation and the bullpen for A-ball Rome. He has 70 strikes and 43 walks in 92.2 innings, and features a high-velocity fastball with inconsistent command and the usual assortment of developing secondary pitches.
Harris is a 23 year old righty reliever who was recently promoted to AA Mississippi. He did not appear on Braves prospect lists, and appears to have career upside in middle relief.
Lorick is a 22 year old lefty reliever who was recently promoted to A-ball Myrtle Beach. He doesn't have a ton of raw stuff and, as a collegiate arm, has been putting up just average numbers against younger competition.
As expected, the Cubs didn't get much of a haul for Lee, but Lopez is at least interesting, if a long ways off. Be sure to read more on the trade at Talking Chop and Bleed Cubbie Blue.
Aug 18 5:35p by Jeff Sullivan - 0 comments