Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com has heard that the Indians are in no hurry to deal Cliff Lee and would have to be "completely overwhelmed" by an offer to make it work.
This report is on board with the many rumblings SI.com's Jon Heyman has gathered, and the reasons behind Cleveland's stubbornness make complete sense. Lee has an affordable $9MM option for 2010 and is currently the glue that holds the Indians' rotation together. Without his presence, Cleveland would have some serious rotation question marks in 2010 and beyond.
"I know this much: If Lee is traded this year, that would be a tough sell to the fan base," Castrovince concludes.
The 30-year-old lefty is 4-6 this season with a 2.96 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 79/26 K/BB ratio.
