The Dodgers have been awarded the claiming rights for left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee, which means L.A. and Philly now have three days to play Let's Make A Deal. The waiver system in baseball works a little differently than in some pro sports, like, say, the NFL. In the NFL, placing a player on waivers means you've released them outright and then that player can be claimed by any team, with the waiver order determined by record the previous year (or during the season, current record).
As Dash Treyhorn of NBC Philadelphia explains, "When someone is put on waivers, every other team has a chance to claim him based on whatever spot in the order that they fall. If no team claims him, the player passes through waivers, and he can then be traded to any team, no questions asked. If a team does claim him, they can try to work out a trade with the team that put him on waivers. The waiving team can also pull him back off of waivers if they do not wish to trade him, as well."
However, multiple sources are saying that a trade appears unlikely:
Source:
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 3, 2012#Dodgers awarded the claiming rights on Cliff Lee. It remains unlikely that they ultimately obtain him from#Phillies.@mlbonfox
Claiming period for Cliff Lee closes Sunday. So,
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 3, 2012#Dodgers and#Phillies have until then to work out deal. Again, trade appears unlikely.
update: though the
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) August 3, 2012#dodgers put in claim, word is the#phillies do not really want to trade cliff lee. cbsprt.co/OGhudp
So, as you can see, word is that this will not likely amount to much. But, it's certainly a situation to monitor -- Lee is due $87.5 million at least ($25 million each of next three years, plus $12.5 million buyout or $27.5 million option in 2016), so if the Phillies are looking to dump that salary, the Dodgers new ownership group now have the means and apparently a desire to accommodate them.
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