Like the Chicago Cubs were just a short time ago, the Philadelphia Phillies are a team who are clearly in rebuild mode. Many would say that the Phillies waited far too long to start this rebuild, but the time is clearly here now.

Cole Hamels is the most attractive player that the Phillies have to sell, and they are waiting out the market to get the maximum return on their star left-handed pitcher. The Cubs, along with many other teams, have been mentioned as possible suitors for Hamels. However, with their off-season addition of Jon Lester, it seems very unlikely that the Cubs will be willing to meet the massive asking price that the Phillies have on Hamels.

That being said, with the Cubs finally seeming ready to take the step from rebuilding to competing, the two teams do match-up well as trade partners. The Phillies have some interesting pieces that could certainly entice the Cubs as they look to compete for a National League Central crown in 2015. The player who sticks out the most as an obtainable target is left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee.

The Phillies would be glad to trade the remaining one-year, $25 million remaining on Lee’s contract that also includes a 2016 option for $27.5 million ($12.5 million buyout). That is a horrendous contract for a 36-year-old pitcher who missed the last few months of the 2014 season with an elbow injury.

As terrible as Lee’s contract is, he has still been a productive pitcher. In 13 starts in 2014, Lee posted a 3.65 ERA in 81.1 innings pitched, and his 3.01 xFIP suggests that he was even better than his traditional numbers show. He also struck out eight batters per nine innings, while walking only 1.3 per nine.

Lee is only a year removed from a healthy 2013 season, when he started 31 games (222.2 innings pitched), posted a 2.87 ERA (2.78 xFIP) and struck out nine batters per nine innings, while walking only 1.3 batters per nine.

The Cubs’ starting rotation is already in good shape. Bringing in Lester as the ace of the staff to join Jake Arrieta (2.53 ERA, 2.73 xFIP in 2014), Jason Hammel (2.98 ERA in 17 starts with the Cubs in 2014), Kyle Hendricks (2.46 ERA in 13 starts as a rookie in 2014) and a host of quality fifth starter options like Travis Wood, Jacob Turner and Tsuyoshi Wada, the Cubs’ rotation already projects to be very good in 2015. That being said, there is always room for improvement, and with their recent involvement in the James Shields' sweepstakes, the Cubs appear willing to spend to improve the rotation.

Assuming health (which is admittedly a big question mark), Lee is likely to continue to be a very good pitcher in 2015 and moving forward. However, with the team not expected to compete anytime soon, the Phillies would love to unload Lee’s contract as his value to them is very limited.

In order for the Cubs to bite, the Phillies would certainly have to eat a significant portion of the remaining dollars on Lee’s contract, but they would be correct to expect a solid return as well. Catcher Welington Castillo would be enticing for the Phillies, as would the Cubs’ host of enticing fifth starter options who would become more expendable to the Cubs with the addition of Lee. The Cubs also have almost inarguably the best farm system in baseball, if it is prospects the Phillies want, the Cubs have a ton of choices.

This would be a great opportunity for the Cubs to buy-low on a player with a potentially massive pay-off. There would certainly be some risk involved, but Lee is a stable veteran who could be a massive asset to the Cubs as they look to compete for a post-season berth.

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About the author
Dan Schmelzer
Dan is a 25-year-old writer who specializes in Chicago Cubs content. Dan also writes about the Iowa Hawkeyes, Fantasy Football, and covers the NFL.