Joel Sherman's been the go-to guy here all along, and so:
i have learned deal done with #Rangers, Smoak and 3 others for Lee and reliever Mark Lowe #Rangers, #Mariners
Time to think for a while.
Matthew's Update: Trade confirmed by Ken Rosenthal. I could have hoped as much as possible, but hope does not change the underlying facts and the lay of the situation and the circumstances of where the Mariners found themselves both this year and in 2011 made trading Lee almost a necessity. That necessity has been borne out and Cliff Lee is headed out. We now have secondary confirmation that Zduriencik has traded Lee to the Rangers along with Mark Lowe.
To Cliff, I hope you think well of us as you pack your locker. I certainly would not mind if you gave some thought to returning with a free agent contract. For now, so long and thanks for the memories.
Further Update:
The complete return appears to be:
23 year old switch-hitting 1B Justin Smoak
21 year old righty SP Blake Beavan
24 year old righty 2B Matt Lawson
25 year old righty RP Josh Lueke