Rangers Acquire Cliff Lee for Justin Smoak, Three Others

Originally Published: Jul 9, 2010 5:11 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas Rangers agreed Friday to send rookie Justin Smoak and three other prospects to the Seattle Mariners for former Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee.

Smoak was a member of the Oklahoma City RedHawks until April of this season, when the Rangers purchased his contract. In 69 games with the RedHawks, Smoak batted .255 with six home runs and 28 RBIs.

Since moving to the majors, Smoak has hit .209 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs. He was listed by Baseball America before this season as the No. 12 prospect in baseball.

Lee won the 2008 Cy Young Award as a member of the Cleveland Indians, when he went 22-3. This season, he is 8-3 and leads the American League with a 2.34 ERA.

The Rangers currently lead their division by 5.5 games, the largest lead of any first-place team in MLB. Despite currently ranking fourth in the league with a 3.91 team ERA, the Rangers were seeking a legitimate ace to put at the top of their rotation. Their pitchers have historically struggled, thanks in large part to the sweltering summer heat of Texas.

The Mariners were originally in talks to send Lee to the New York Yankees, but the Rangers jumped in when their talks broke down. Lee will now jump from last place in the American League West to first place.

The deal will reportedly involve three other Rangers prospects: second baseman Matt Lawson, and pitchers Josh Lueke and Blake Beaven. The Mariners will also send reliever Mark Lowe, and $2.5 million to help subsidize the rest of Lee’s contract.

Smoak was one of Texas’ most prized young players, but the Rangers were able to avoid dealing any of their top-rated pitching prospects.

The departure of Smoak will likely cause the Rangers to promote current RedHawk first baseman Chris Davis to take his place. Davis is currently batting .354 with 10 home runs and 56 RBIs with Oklahoma City. He was moved down to OKC in April to make room for Smoak.