Cliff Lee on Track to Begin Rehab Sunday in Clearwater

Cliff Lee is on track to begin a rehab assignment at High-A Clearwater on Sunday.

Lee threw 60 pitches to live hitters on Tuesday afternoon and felt fine.  The veteran left-hander is expected to rejoin the Phillies' starting rotation after the All-Star break and he could be a big target for contending teams at the July 31 trade deadline.

Lee has been sidelined since mid-May with a flexor strain in his left elbow but should rejoin the Phillies' rotation in a couple weeks if he can avoid setbacks.

Phillies fans can expect Lee's name to be popular in trade talks this month, leading up to the July 31st trade deadline.  There is no question now is the time to deal Lee, but the problem is, they have traded him once and got nothing in return - why should Phillies fans have any confidence they can do better this time around?

Lee was sent away to Seattle for three spare parts and now is coming off an injury, has a ton of money left on his deal and is now 35 years old, who knows what kind of value he will have on the trade market.

One team that has been mentioned as a potential partner - the New York Yankees.

The Yankees can do something that just about no other team can do - take on the remainder of the $25 million for this season, $25 million for 2015 and potentially, take on the $27.5 million option for 2016 and not cost them their entire farm system.

Other teams that might be in the mix, Angels, Dodgers, Blue Jays and potentially back to the Mariners.

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