Report: Twins Were Offering Slowey, One Additional Prospect

While Cliff Lee will not be a Minnesota Twin, it’s still interesting to hear how aggressive the team was in trying to acquire him. According to Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com, the Twins were offering Kevin Slowey and one additional prospect not named Aaron Hicks.

Word is the Twins were willing to deal Slowey and one of two prospects: catcher Wilson Ramos or outfielder Ben Revere. Talks broke down when, contrary to reports, the Twins refused to package Ramos with top outfield prospect Aaron Hicks.

It seems that if the Twins, as FanHouse reported they did, had offered Aaron Hicks too, they may have landed the lefty that is now making his home in Texas. Would that have been too much?

It's Over: Cliff Lee Heads To Texas

After a deal between the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees was “just about done,” things apparently stalled and in the end fell apart. There were reports that the sides had agreed in principle to a deal, but at the last minute, the Texas Rangers stepped in and picked up the lefty from their division rival.

Texas will send Justin Smoak and three other prospects to the Mariners for a half-season of Lee. Meanwhile, according to Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees aren’t at all happy.

#Yankees livid with #Mariners. Believed they had deal, then M’s took it to #Rangers saying put Smoak in and Lee is yours. #Rangers jumped. Adams’ ankle injury was excuse for M’s to back out. “You just don’t do business that way,” one Yankee official said. #MLB

Whatever the case may be, Cliff Lee will not be a Minnesota Twin. If the Twins do still have interest in adding a starting pitcher, two names still on the market include Roy Oswalt and Dan Haren.

Report: Yankees, Mariners Close To A Deal

The Minnesota Twins may have been named the front runners by many baseball experts, but when all is said and done, it doesn’t appear that Cliff Lee will be in Minnesota. ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets this morning that Seattle and the New York Yankees may be close to a deal.

Executive involved in Cliff Lee talks: The Yankees-Mariners deal “is just about done.”

Sources also tell Olney that the Yankees have informed Seattle that they’ve made their best offer, and a deal could be finalized as soon as tonight.

Heard this: The Yankees told the Mariners overnight that their current offer is their last and best offer for Lee. They expect a yes or no soon, because Lee is scheduled to pitch against them tonight. “There has to be an answer before the game,” says 1 source.

For Twins’ fans, it was fun to imagine a potential rotation of Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano and Lee, but barring a last minute change, it doesn’t appear that will happen. There are other pitchers on the trade market, but to date, Minnesota has not been connected to any rumors.

Report: Twins Offer Kevin Slowey In Cliff Lee Package

A few days ago there was a report that the Twins offered two of their top prospects for lefty Cliff Lee, catcher Wilson Ramos and outfielder Aaron Hicks. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com say that rumor was a tad off.

Both the Twins and Mariners have denied comment on the AOL Fanhouse report, which is unconfirmed. The Twins, according to one major-league source, offered Ramos and right-hander Kevin Slowey, not Ramos and Hicks. Other sources say that the Mariners want players who are close to the majors; Hicks, while considered the Twins’ top prospect, does not qualify.

In the same article, Rosenthal and Morosi write that the Mariner’s price is currently ‘mammoth’ and there could be two reasons.

The Mariners’ aggressiveness can be interpreted in one of two ways: They are either close with the Twins and trying to determine if another team will top the Minnesota offer, or they are still trying to drive up the bidding.

It’s hard to tell how long this process will take and whether or not it’ll go to the July 31 trade deadline, but there certainly hasn’t been a shortage of reports in recent days.

Mariners Scouting Twins' System, Nothing Close

While the Seattle Mariners have been scouting several different minor league systems, including Minnesota’s, Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune writes that nothing is close.

Based on some conversations I’ve had today, I get the feeling the Mariners are not close to trading Cliff Lee, at least not to the Twins. I was told the Mariners are scouting the Twins’ system, but they are looking at several other teams as well. The Twins and Mariners have yet to exchange proposals for Lee.

It only takes one trade offer to make a deal happen, so something could come together quickly if both sides are ready to act. For now though, it doesn’t sound as if Cliff Lee is close to leaving Seattle.

Report: Cliff Lee Talks 'Heating Up'

Just last night several reports came out in regards to the Minnesota Twins and their reported trade target, Cliff Lee. ESPN’s Buster Olney tweets tonight that trade talks are heating up and some teams would like to add the All-Star lefty soon.

Heard this: The Lee trade talks are “heating up” according to a source, with some teams interested in adding the lefty ASAP.

It would make sense if the Twins are indeed one of those teams. With a report that the Twins might offer up multiple top prospects for the half-season rental, they’d certainly like to squeeze out as many starts as possible.

Report: Twins Offer Aaron Hicks and Wilson Ramos For Cliff Lee

According to a tweet from AOL’s Jeff Fletcher, the Minnesota Twins have offered former first round pick Aaron Hicks along with their top catching prospect for the Mariners’ Cliff Lee.

MLB source hears #twins have offered OF Aaron Hicks (1st rnd, 08, 900 minor lg OPS) and top C prospect Wilson Ramos for C.Lee

Star Tribune beat writer La Velle E. Neal III says that nothing is imminent, but the two sides continue to talk. He also mentions that he believes the Twins are attempting to get Lee plus one other player in a deal.

Nothing close on Lee. Twins source tells me. Still guessing that talks are fluid.

I do believe that any deal would be Lee plus one.

The rumors are starting to pick up, and with the deadline less than a month away, they’ll all be put to rest one way or another in a matter of weeks.

'Interesting Possibilities' Regarding Twins, Cliff Lee

With the Twins struggling in the past month, and the trade deadline now less than a month away, both trade talk and rumors are beginning to pick up. Some teams are deciding to sell, while others attempt to figure out which pieces might help them contend.

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that there are some interesting possibilities regarding the Twins and the chance of Cliff Lee switching teams.

source: there are “interesting discussions” and “possibilities” for a cliff lee deal to twins.

With Target Field and more revenue this season, the Twins can certainly afford the remainder of Lee’s 2010 contract. It’s now simply a matter of what they have to offer and how much they’re willing to give up.

Report: Lee Could Be Traded In '7-10 Days'

The rumors are starting to intensify regarding Seattle starting pitcher, Cliff Lee. Currently 14 games back in the American League West, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com writes that some executives expect a deal to happen sooner rather than later:

However, two executives from clubs that have called the Mariners about Lee say that the team is indeed willing to trade the pitcher immediately for the right offer.

One of the executives, in fact, predicts that the Mariners will move Lee in 7 to 10 days, following a timetable similar to the one the Indians used when they traded left-hander CC Sabathia to the Brewers on July 7, 2008.

And, with the recent struggles from some of their starting rotation, the Twins continue to be tied to their former division rival:

The Mets, Dodgers and Rangers have inquired on Lee, according to major-league sources. Many in the industry project the Twins as the front-runner. The Yankees, currently set with five starters, seem more likely to pursue Lee in free agency than in a trade.

Report: Twins Early Favorites in Cliff Lee Sweepstakes

With Nick Blackburn reeling in the month of June and inconsistent trends from starters Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker, the Twins are in the market for a starting pitcher. The big fish this season is Seattle's Cliff Lee, a familiar face for Twins' fans. In a blog post, Seattle Times writer Geoff Baker indicates that Minnesota is an early frontrunner:

And at 13 games out, the Lee trade talk is not dying down. It's picking up. I said a couple of days ago that the Twins, Rangers and Mets looked like the biggest suitors and you can now cross the boys from Texas off because a bankruptcy ruling on Tuesday makes it next to impossible for the Rangers to add significant payroll.

Better luck next time.

That leaves the Twins and Mets. The Twins have been seen as favorites because they have a blocked top catching prospect in Wilson Ramos that they could make a centerpiece to a deal along with a mid-to-back-end starting pitcher. Seattle has apparently let teams know that acquiring a good catching prospect is high on their priority list.

How quickly the Mariners will look to move Lee is unknown, but the Twins seem to be one of the common frontrunners named by experts. On ESPN's SportsCenter, baseball analyst Buster Olney also named the Twins as the early favorite.