The rationale for the Mega-Blockbuster-(Insert Any Other Hyperbolic Descriptor Here) three-way trade involving two former Cy young award winners and a bevy of much discussed prospects, is becoming less and less clear. The agent for soon-to-be Seattle Mariners’ pitcher Cliff Lee, Darek Braunecker, has answered reports that the trade was spurred by the Phillies’ inability to make progress in contract negotiations with Lee:
Lee’s Agent: Cliff Lee Did Not Demand Trade From Phillies
“At no point did we make any sort of financial demands,” Braunecker said. “The negotiations were in the very preliminary stages. As recently as [Monday], both sides would have characterized the discussions as encouraging. Unfortunately, something transpired that we had no control over that dictated this move.
“What’s being portrayed in the media is completely inaccurate — that we presented something or the club thought our position was going to preclude them from being able to do a deal. We didn’t get far enough down the road in negotiations to really [explore] the details.”
He goes on to say that Lee enjoyed his time in Philadelphia and wanted to be there long term. In other words, Lee and Braunecker are as confused as we are.
See More:
