Forget the Yankees, Cliff Lee traded to the Rangers

That didn't take long. After trade talks between the Yankees and Mariners fell apart, the Rangers have swooped in and grabbed former Phillie Cliff Lee. The Rangers had to give up quite a package, including top prospect Justin Smoak and three other minor leaguers, but they ended up with the best pitcher that is going to get dealt this season.

While some Phillies fans might still be upset that Lee didn't end up coming back to Philly, having him dealt to the Rangers is probably the next best thing as the deal keeps him out of the NL and away from the hated Yankees. While the Rangers do get that much closer to a World Series contender, the chances the Phillies will actually ever face Lee are very slim.

Bottom line, Cliff Lee was never coming back to the Philly. The Phillies may have had some talks here and there with Seattle about Lee but they could never have matched the package that the Rangers ended up offering to the Mariners. What you can get upset about as a Phillies fan, though, is the fact that the Mariners just got more for Lee than they had to give up to get him before the season. Ruben Amaro looks pretty bad for not holding out and getting more in return for a hot commodity like Cliff Lee.