In today's Blue Jays trade rumors and news update, a shaky outing for Cliff Lee in his first start since late May may have the Phillies rethinking their timing when it comes to trading the veteran pitcher.
After Lee gave up six runs and a career-high twelve hits in 5 2/3 innings of work on Monday, concerns about Lee's recent elbow strain could drive down his value in the marketplace.
Therefore, per Mike Axisa of CBS Sports, the Phillies might be better served by holding onto Lee for a potential waiver trade in August - a scenario that would potentially end up benefiting a Blue Jays team searching for help at the front of the rotation:
The deadline has a way of making teams desperate and if he has a strong outing during his next start on Saturday, Lee could be a goner next week. Someone might take the plunge. If his location is off again, the Phillies' best course of action may be to hold onto him into August, let him make a few more starts to showcase himself, then swing a waiver trade. That would be preferable to selling low, even slightly, on such a valuable asset.
In addition, getting a better read on Lee after a couple more starts could allow the Blue Jays to gauge whether or not they're willing to buy in to Lee as the solution to the questions in their pitching rotation.
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