this we know

Where will Cliff Lee wind up? Rumors are rampant about the former Meridian Community College star’s trade destination. Seattle may be shipping its left-handed ace to Minnesota. Or New York. Both the Yankees and Mets are interested. Then there’s Tampa Bay. The Chicago White Sox. Even Philadelphia might be bidding to get him back. As many as 15 teams are said to be interested. We do know that he’s headed to Anaheim next week for the All-Star Game. And he should be the American League starter, without question. Lee’s numbers are amazing: He is 8-3 for a mediocre club with a 2.34 ERA and five complete games. When you consider his strikeouts-to-walks ratio, Lee enters another realm: 89 K’s and just six walks in 103 2/3 innings. Give him the ball next Tuesday night.
P.S. The Mississippi Braves’ roster shuffle continued on Monday when infielder Dan Nelson was promoted from Class A Myrtle Beach. He might help with his bat — he homered in his first game — but, sadly enough, he’s not a prospect, just another recycled veteran on a club filled with them. Nelson is 26 and with his fourth organization. The loss of right-hander Jeff Lyman to Oakland on a waiver claim last week was a blow to the bullpen, but it might be offset by the return (from two months on the DL) of Kyle Cofield, who will pitch in relief for a couple weeks before moving back into the rotation. Cofield has quality stuff, as he showed last year. A rotation of Cofield, Brandon Beachy, Scott Diamond, Erik Cordier and Tim Gustafson would be pretty strong. Now if they can just get Brett Butts back (from injury) into the bullpen mix …