The Miami Marlins may be in fourth place and will be just two games ahead of the cellar-dwelling Phillies, but they appear to be adding in hopes of turning their season around. According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Marlins have traded for Astros OF/1B/should-be-DH Carlos Lee.
The Marlins had such poor production from first baseman Gaby Sanchez (.194 batting average, 2 home runs, 16 RBI) that they sent him to the minors. Left fielder Logan Morrison spent a lot of time playing first base since the demotion and is likely to turn to left field with Lee taking over first base.
Just days ago Lee turned down a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are in first place atop the National League West, invoking his 10 and 5 player rights. Some reports say that Lee did not want to take a pay cut by moving to a state with a state income tax, California. So, instead, Lee is traded to a fourth-place team about to be 10 games out of first place. Florida, like Texas, has no state income tax.
One thing is now clear: Carlos Lee is not interested in winning, just his paycheck. This probably means he will contribute nothing whatsoever to the Marlins.
In 2012, Lee has a .286 batting average, 5 home runs, and 29 RBI. The Astros will pay most of Lee's salary and receive third baseman Matt Dominguez and pitcher Rob Rasmussen.
