Astros Looking to Trade Lee?

"El Caballo" behind Hoss?

This is more from the same Cafardo article earlier. The Astros may be looking to dump salaries this off-season, and Carlos Lee, if they can get him to waive his no-trade clause, would be a player they would consider trading. So, like always, I have to look at whether or not the Braves should consider getting him, as they have a huge need for an OF bat. Would he be a good fit?

Lee will be 33 next season, so he'll probably start to decline over the next few years. His body type doesn't bode real well for that either, but he's always been more athletic than people give him credit for. As for his contract, he is owed $74M over the next four years ($18.5M each season), so he's very expensive. What the receiving team gets is a .290/.350/.510 hitter who will hit 30+ HR and drive in 100 R. He's been pretty durable throughout his career until a fluke finger injury forced hom to only 115 games this past season, but he had played in at least 150 games in 7 of the previous 9 seasons (140 and 115 in the other seasons). However, this is the point of a career where injuries start to creep up on people. The one surprising thing about Lee is that he has never struck out 100 times in a season (most in the 60-80 range), which is pretty incredible for a power-hitter. He has also been remarkably consistent throughout his career. The talent is definitely there.

So is Lee a good idea? I guess it depends on what the Astros want in return. Considering his age, I would be reluctant to give up too much for him, but he is a legit clean-up hitter and can play decently in left field. His salary is also an issue. The Braves need to spend their money on pitching, so spending $20M of the remaining $40-45M on Lee is probably a bad idea. The Astros would have to eat part of the salary to get the job done. Would the Astros take a Morton/Hernandez/Lillibridge trade? I doubt it. If they are going to eat salary and give up a guy with considerable talent, they'll want something significant in return. I'm not sure how desperate the Astros are, but so far, it doesn't seem that they're really pushing anything. I'd like Lee, but I wouldn't give up Peavy talent for him.