MLB Trade Rumors: Rangers Trade Justin Smoak...

Cliff Lee traded to the Texas Rangers and not the New York Yankees!

You would think that teams would want to keep a dominant left-handed pitcher like Cliff Lee. That is not the case with Lee who has once again been traded. This time, the Seattle Mariners traded Lee and reliever Mark Lowe to the Texas Rangers. Seattle will get first baseman Justin Smoak and three minor leaguers. The trade is not official yet, but reports indicate that it will go through.

This is the third trade in less than a year for Lee who was originally traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Phialdelphia Phillies in 2008 and then to Seattle Mariners in 2009. Lee won the Cy Young Award in 2008 and has been one of MLB's most dominant pitchers since 2008. This season, Lee has started 13 games for Seattle going 8-3 with a 2.34 ERA and 89 strikeouts. The reason Lee has been traded so much is because he is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. This means that teams are afraid of losing him in free agency so they want to get some value out of him.

Getting Lee is a great move by the Rangers. They do lose one of the top prospects in MLB in Smoak, but their offense is not an issue this season and is usually never their problem. Texas' problem is always pitching and with the acquisition of Lee, they hope to finally solve their pitching problem. I am just glad Lee did not go to the New York Yankees!

What do you think about the Cliff Lee trade? Do you think the Texas Rangers will definitely win the AL West now?