MLB Trade Deadline: Phillies keeping Cliff Lee?

I never really felt strongly that Cliff Lee was going to be traded by the Philadelphia Phillies, and with the trade deadline creeping up in a matter of hours it looks as though that will be the case. With the Boston Red Sox making their move to acquire a starting pitcher, perhaps turned off by the Phillies and their demands in exchange for Lee, it looks as though there are no realistic options that might make a last minute push for Lee.

Last night the Red Sox acquired Jake Peavy from the Chicago White Sox as the highlight of a three-team exchange. The Detroit Tigers, in the same three-team trade, acquired shortstop Jose Inglesias as well.This of course got me thinking how things might have gone if Jimmy Rollins and Cliff Lee might have been available at a lower cost. The Tigers could have added a shortstop and the Red Sox would get their pitcher while the Phillies might have been able to stockpile their system the way the White Sox ended up doing, while also freeing up some payroll in the next couple of seasons.

I am not really opposed to keeping Lee, one of the top pitchers in the game, but I do feel the pressure is somewhat on Ruben Amaro Jr. to make any kind of move that might provide for long-term success at a point in time when the rest of the NL East is getting better.