Phillies Getting Offers For Cliff Lee
A number of teams have called the Philadelphia Phillies with offers for Cliff Lee recently, according to sources.
Ruben Amaro, Jr. said he's keeping an open mind on Lee and other players who might generate interest at the deadline.
"I never put any real absolutes on anything," Amaro said. "Although we don't have any desire to move a guy like that because we view him as someone who will be key to our future, I am a businessperson as well and I'll be a good listener.
"I can't sit here and say I'm not going to trade Chase (Utley), or Cliff, or Michael Young or Chooch (Carlos Ruiz), or any of these guys. Some guys are less tradable than others. But I think I owe it to us as an organization to listen. If teams are going to come at us and suggest things, I'm not going to turn off the faucet and stop listening to them."
Lee signed a five-year, $120 million contract in December 2010 that pays him $25 million in each of the 2013 through 2015 seasons. The deal includes a $27.5 million club option for 2016 and a $12.5 million buyout.
He also has a provision that allows him to block trades to 21 clubs each year.