The Chicago Cubs and general manager Jim Hendry continued the team’s fire sale Wednesday evening, as they traded away first baseman Derrek Lee to the Atlanta Braves for three pitching prospects.
Lee, one of the Cubs best players had a tough decision to make Wednesday before relinquishing the 10-5 trade clause that is stated in his contract. The Cubs management had presented Lee with an opportunity to head to Los Angeles and play for the Angels, but Lee politely denied. This time, the Braves brought a more promising chance to play in the playoffs.
The Cubs atrocious season has been compounded by the fact that the team’s payroll is littered with terrible contracts. Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano have the brunt of those contracts, but Lee’s less than stellar season made it easier for Hendry to deal the fan favorite to the Braves.
It was only weeks ago that Hendry and the Cubs dealt Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Dodgers for Blake DeWitt. Several days later, it was second baseman Mike Fontenot who was traded to the San Francisco Giants. Now, it’s Lee’s turn as he heads to the Braves to help bolster a sputtering lineup with the loss of third baseman Chipper Jones.
One thing is certain and that’s the Chicago Cubs have their eyes set on rebuilding for the future.
Good luck with that proposition.