MLB

Phillies’ Lee, Red Sox’s Beckett being available shows change in philosophy

The team with the largest payroll in the major leagues, the Yankees, was looking for supplementary parts with 24 hours to go until the non-waiver trade deadline at 4 p.m. today. They were as focused on adding 40-man roster insurance as in touching their 25-man roster.

Yeah, this could be a real yawner today in The Bronx.

The action is with the next two largest-payroll teams. As the clock ticked toward the deadline, the Phillies and Red Sox were offering the intrigue and, potentially, the star power.

Cliff Lee and Josh Beckett, in particular, brought buzz to the marketplace. Neither is likely to move before the offseason. But the fact the Phillies were talking Lee shows how badly they want to reallocate their payroll, and the fact the Red Sox were open for business on Beckett displays how much they want to address their crippling dysfunction.

The Phillies, 12 games under .500 after being swept by the Braves, finally accepted it was a pipe dream even to be a wild card. Thus, they are now in sell mode. Shane Victorino, Juan Pierre, Joe Blanton, Ty Wigginton and possibly even Hunter Pence are in the come-and-get-’em category.

But Lee’s availability spoke to a change of organizational course.

The Phillies won the World Series in 2008 with Cole Hamels as their lone ace, backed by Nos. 3-4 types (Blanton, Jamie Moyer and Brett Myers). Since then, they have acquired Lee (twice), Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt without adding another title. So they know they can remove Lee and be championship contenders in 2013 — which is now their mission statement — because they still will have Hamels and Halladay, assuming Halladay can rebound to his Doc-ish form.

They also were seeking to trade Lee as a way to become less top heavy in their payroll while creating a better-rounded team. The hope was to obtain inexpensive high-end options (such as Rangers third baseman Mike Olt) ready to play in the majors immediately. Philadelphia would then use the money saved by Lee’s departure to address other issues in free agency.

Alas, Lee’s money is the massive stumbling block to a trade. He is owed either $87.5 million over the next three years — a stunning $29.2 million on average — or $102.5 million for four ($26.63 million annually) if his 2016 vesting option triggers. Lee would not receive near either average if he were a free agent now. Thus, Philadelphia would be asking an acquiring team to substantially overpay Lee while giving up top prospects for that privilege.

An NL executive said, “You would have to find the king of all suckers to do that.”

The Rangers love Lee from his half year as ace of their 2010 AL title team and have openly yearned for a No. 1-type starter in their quest to go from World Series runners-up the past two years to champs. Yet Texas continued to say it would not trade Olt in any deal and would need Philadelphia to eat a substantial portion of the contract, which the Phillies were balking at doing.

The Dodgers, loose with the checkbook since they came under new ownership, also want a top starter. However, even they were not prepared to go all-in financially on Lee.

Unlike the Phillies, the Red Sox feel like at least wild-card contenders. Nevertheless, officials who have spoken to their Boston counterparts say the Red Sox believe the best help to their short- and long-term well-being is to begin remedying the faulty culture that has derailed the franchise since last September. Outside officials say the clubhouse dislike for Bobby Valentine is so intense, players lobbying ownership for a change is not an overstatement.

However, many of the clubhouse/organizational problems pre-date Valentine and the manager is not likely to be fired anytime soon. So, Beckett is available because, one NL executive said, Boston’s front office feels the righty is a malcontent who has had a negative clubhouse impact, explaining, “They would clean up some of the mess, which might help in the future without hurting this year, especially if they could find a lesser starter in the market, as well.”

However, Beckett is 5-9 with a 4.57 ERA, has the bad rep and is owed $31.5 million for 2013-14. A personnel man from a team linked to Beckett said: “He’s unlikely to move. Nobody wants him and he makes a ton of money.”

Big deals not likely for Yanks

One phone call can change everything in July. One day Ichiro Suzuki was not even on the Yankees’ radar and the next they were notified he wanted out of Seattle.

The Yankees pivoted quickly and now Ichiro calls The Bronx home. Still, without something dramatic happening — such as possibly the left wrist injury Mark Teixeira incurred last night turning out to be serious — the Yankees were giving off the vibe of being minor players before the trade deadline.

With a long-range vow to be under the $189 million luxury tax threshold in 2014, the Yankees were not in the market for a star addition such as Philadelphia left-hander Cliff Lee, who is owed $87.5 million over the next three years. The Yankees called on San Diego third baseman Chase Headley, but one person involved with the negotiations said, “I don’t think they are even in on it.” The Yankees are trying to protect the best of their farm system, feeling they will need inexpensive additions to stay under $189 million.

So where does that leave them?

Unless it is just propaganda to try to keep prices down, club officials insist Joba Chamberlain will be back in the next week, and Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte will return in September. Thus, they do not have to make any deals.

But now Teixeira has to go for an MRI exam today to learn if he will miss extended time. If that is the case, the Yankees could shift in the waning moments before today’s 4 p.m. deadline and obtain some level of first base help, such as Lyle Overbay, who was designated for assignment yesterday by the Diamondbacks.

If nothing has changed, the Yankees’ course was to be opportunity shoppers and — at the least — consider making acquisitions they could stash at Triple-A if, for example, the fragile Eric Chavez broke down yet again or Chamberlain was not ready for a pennant race after both elbow and ankle surgeries.

* Though a few outside officials felt righty Matt Garza could still be traded by today, Cubs officials were not overly optimistic. They want a strong return and teams are leery because the righty is out with what the Cubs are calling a minor triceps issue. The Cubs are still pushing to trade Ryan Dempster after he used his 10-and-5 rights to reject a trade to the Braves. But the groundwork with Atlanta paid off as Chicago was able to deal lefty Paul Maholm and outfielder Reed Johnson to the Braves last night. The Cubs also dealt catcher Geovany Soto to the Rangers.

The Cubs want to oblige Dempster’s desire to go to the Dodgers, but only if there is a decent return. If not, they plan to make a qualifying offer in the offseason, which either guarantees his return or assures a draft pick if he leaves via free agency.

Since that could hurt bidding for Dempster in free agency, the Cubs are hoping he broadens consideration beyond the Dodgers to, perhaps, Washington, as well.