This article is over a week old now, but I hadn't seen it anywhere until now. It claims that the Twins and Seattle are the best match in a trade for Lee, given the relatively cheap cost and the prospects that the Twins have. Compared to Oswalt, Lee is an incredible bargain contract-wise (only $4 mil!!!..Pavano is getting $7 mil). The only question is, what would the Twins give up (or what would Seattle want) for a rental.

I had a conversation with a talent evaluator a few weeks ago and I mentioned Lee to him. He got a little excited about the idea. "If the cost isn't about premium guys, we're probably going to make that call, I'd think," he said. "And boy would he fit well with the Twins, he's their kind of pitcher."

That he is, and he'd fit right at the top of the rotation with Francisco Liriano, leading into Scott Baker. That's a playoff contending starting rotation.

The Twins have some pieces that may fit, too, including catcher Wilson Ramos, who is blocked by Joe Mauer, right-handers Jose Mijares, Kevin Slowey and Jeff Manship, and perhaps outfielder Joe Benson and Ben Revere. Centerfield prospect Aaron Hicks might be the only untouchable, though Ramos very well could be, too.

This is the easiest two-team match to conceive at this stage.

 

http://prospectinsider.com/view/trading-cliff-lee/?PHPSESSID=dc65a4e59a60cc714a0d817f32ba6480

 I would put the odds of the Twins re-signing Lee at about 10%...rumors are that the Yankees are already essentially planning on inking him in the off-season.

And yes, the article loses some credibility in my mind for lisiting Mijares as a righthander. Interesting that they mention Hicks as untouchable, which is a very good thing if that is really the case.