The Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros have a deal in place that would send veteran first baseman Carlos Lee to L.A. in exchange for prospect Garrett Gould. The Dodgers would also receive cash to help pay the remaining $9 million left on Lee's deal that'll run through the end of the 2012 season.
Lee has been given time to accept the trade or exercise his no-trade clause, which would keep him in Houston. Lee is reportedly happy with the Astros and has a profitable cattle farm in the area, so leaving would not be easy. Here is the latest on the situation from Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
Carlos Lee said Sunday morning he still hadn't made a decision on whether to accept a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers, though several of his teammates believe the slugger wants to stay with the Astros. Lee was pulled into manager Brad Mills' office upon his arrival at Wrigley Field for a closed-door meeting.
When approached by the media at his locker prior to the game, Lee said he hasn't made a decision.
Lee was not given a deadline of any kind to give his final verdict, but you can imagine that all parties involved would like to get the negotiations moving along. The Dodgers know they're going to need to add a bat if they hope to survive without Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier in the lineup, and Lee's bat could help somewhat.
The 36 year old is no longer the slugger he used to be, but he's still batting .285 this season with a respectable OPS of .742. And with his contract expiring in three months, there really isn't a ton of risk for the Dodgers.
And then here is this bit that just rolled in from Buster Olney:
As of now, sources say Carlos Lee hadn't changed his mind from Sat. and won't agree to deal. Source: "It's probably not going to work out."
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 1, 2012
For more on Lee potentially coming to the Dodgers, check out True Blue L.A.