Most of the civilized baseball world is traveling home from Anaheim today, so there aren’t a ton of leaks and whispers out there. As a result, those truly determined to get a news nugget are beating the bushes hard. Take this latest one from Rosenthal and Morosi:
Derrek Lee has remained noncommittal on the issue of his no-trade clause. But some friends of the Cubs first baseman said this week that they believe he would accept a deal to the right team.
“Some friends.” I like to try to picture how these conversations go down. I get this image of Morosi hanging back at a bar where Lee and some people are having a beer. Lee goes home, Morosi walks over, and the conversation begins something like “So, you’re friends of Derrek Lee, right? Well, I can be a friend to you . . .”
Or maybe not. The point here is that Rosenthal and Morosi are probably right in their analysis of Lee being a good fit with the Angels, if for no other reason than he’s a free agent next year and the Angels have said they’re looking for a rental. I think Lance Berkman may be a better fit because he’s a better hitter, but last we heard he still wanted anyone willing to trade for him to pick up his 2011 option, and that’s simply not happening.
