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.