HOUSTON - JUNE 22: Carlos Lee #45 of the Houston Astros flies out to center field against the Cleveland Indians at Minute Maid Park on June 22, 2012 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
The Miami Marlins have acquired first baseman Carlos Lee from the Houston Astros in exchange for third baseman Matt Dominguez and pitcher Rob Rasmussen, as ESPN's Buster Olney first reported. The deal comes mere days after Lee refused to go to Los Angeles after the Astros agreed to a deal with the Dodgers.
No longer the great hitter he was once, Lee can still provide a solid all-around bat and a significant upgrade over present Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez. This season, the 36-year-old Lee has hit .286/.336/.412 with 15 doubles and five homers, numbers that qualify as just slightly above average.
Those numbers should provide a major upgrade for Miami, though, given how poorly Sanchez has played this season. After hitting his way into a full-time role in the previous two seasons, the 28-year-old has hit a terrible .194/.240/.283 this season. Per FanGraphs, he's been the worst first baseman in the majors according to WAR this year.
According to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Miami Sun Sentinel, the Marlins weren't on Lee's no-trade list so he didn't have a say in whether to go to Miami or not. It's a cheap deal financially for Miami, as Rodriguez adds that the Astros are eating the entirety of his contract besides the prorated league minimum.
________________________________________________________
Is Carlos Lee enough to help turn the Marlins' season around?
________________________________________________________


There are 2 Comments. Add yours. Load Now.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Something to say? Choose one of these options to log in.