By Matt Brigidi
Special to TTB
Editor of TCL Flyers
According to a report by Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the Philadelphia Phillies have placed left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee on waivers and expect him to clear on Friday afternoon making him trade eligible.
Due to the salary commitments owed to Lee over the next few seasons (three years, $87.5 million or potentially four years, $102.5 million to be exact), he is expected to clear without any issues.
In fact, the real issue with a potential trade involving the 33-year old pitcher is that the Phillies would likely be required to eat a chunk of his salary, something the organization is reportedly not interested in doing.
Of course, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. also stated that the team had no interest in trading Lee (as recently as Thursday morning on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike In The Morning).
Placing the pitcher on waivers is merely a formality; if a team was to pick Lee up on waivers, the Phillies could either negotiate a trade with the club or transfer his contract to them.
The Phillies also have the option of pulling him back if they decide they want to keep him.
However, it’s important to remember that Lee has a no-trade clause in his contract that allows him to decline a trade to 21 teams, which makes this situation more difficult than it seems.
Be sure to stay tuned for any breaking news.
TTB 