D-Lee 'Agonized' Over Decision

Via tweet from the Sun-Times’ Gordon Wittenmyer:

DLee says he “agonized” over decision to decline Angels deal. Says family played big role in dec.

Derrek Lee Invokes 10-And-5 Rights To Veto Trade To Angels

Via tweet from cubs.com’s Carrie Muskat:

#Cubs Derrek Lee invokes 10-and-5 rights to block proposed deal to #Angels.

No word on who the Cubs would have received in this deal. Many people forget that players with 10 major league seasons, the last five with the same team (under which Lee qualifies) have the right to veto any trade, no conditions need to be given.

So, Lee will remain a Cub the rest of the season, and then likely will leave the team as a free agent. He’s been productive and popular as a Cub, but will be 35 in September and has had a down season.

Will Lilly Stay Or Will He Go? Diverging Opinions

ESPN Chicago’s Bruce Levine says Ted may be a goner:

Many big league scouts were on hand to report back on Lilly to their general managers as the trading deadine approaches on Saturday. Lilly has told the Cubs he’d like to stay, however it appears by this weekend’s deadline for non-waiver trades that he’ll be wearing another uniform.

But the Tribune’s David Haugh says the Cubs should sign Ted to an extension:

If I’m Jim Hendry, instead of trying to find the right trade partner for Lilly, I would focus instead on keeping him. I would make an 11th-hour appeal and lock myself in a room with his agent and vow not to come out until we work out a contract extension.

Make Lilly the first big move of the 2010 off-season. Well, technically it would mark the second big move: Lou Piniella’s retirement announcement already made the Cubs more about next season than this one. And nothing would help make the job of Cubs manager look more appealing to a guy such as Joe Girardi than having Lilly locked up to stabilize a rotation likely to include Ryan Dempster, Randy Wells and Tom Gorzelanny.

Besides that, if the Cubs keep Lilly and don’t extend him, they can offer him arbitration in the offseason. If he declines, the Cubs would get two draft picks, which might be more valuable than anything they can acquire by trade.

Tracing Ted Lilly Trade Rumors To Their Source

The Hardball Times blog lists 25 trade targets and has this to say about Ted Lilly, who they rank sixth on their list (really, fifth, since #2, Dan Haren, has already been dealt):

A free agent after this season. The Dodgers, Mets and Twins have all been linked to Lilly. A great start on Wednesday day night against the Astros only ups his stock. Word is, the Cubs would like to trade Lilly before his next scheduled start on Tuesday.

However, tracing back the links from that one leads you, eventually, to the source, which is this Chris DeLuca article from Friday’s Sun-Times, in which he states:

With contenders struggling to find the right match for available starters Roy Oswalt and Dan Haren on the trade market, interest in Cubs left-hander Ted Lilly has stepped up dramatically and a trade could be completed by the end of the weekend, major-league sources said Friday.

Which, given that this is now Monday afternoon, obviously has not happened. We await further developments, or breathless rumors, or both, not necessarily in that order.

Mets, Tigers Not On Lilly's No-Trade List

Ted Lilly’s contract lists several teams he won’t approve a trade to:

Ted Lilly’s 10-team no-trade clause includes the Phillies, Twins and Rays, according to major-league sources.

However, the Mets and Tigers aren’t on that list and both teams have expressed interest:

The struggling New York Mets have shown the most interest in Lilly. The Detroit Tigers are also believed to be shifting their attention to Lilly after hitting a wall in their talks with the Arizona Diamondbacks centering on Haren. Scouts from several contenders, including the Mets, Tigers, Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers, were at Wrigley Field on Wednesday for Lilly’s start against right-hander Brett Myers, who is being shopped by the Astros. Myers has also drawn interest from the Mets.

Other sources indicate there’s no imminent action on the part of the Cubs in the trade market. We’ll update this StoryStream with new information as available.

Where Will Ted Lilly Be Pitching After The Trading Deadline?

Will the Cubs trade Ted Lilly? A new rumor surfaced Sunday night after the Yankees' Andy Pettitte was injured in their afternoon game against the Rays. Could the Yankees be interested in Lilly?

Tests revealed Pettitte suffered a Grade 1 strain, the least severe kind, but manager Joe Girardi said, "It looks like he's probably headed to the DL."

Lilly, who will pitch for the Cubs on Wednesday, is being actively pursued by teams such as the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. If Pettitte’s injury is serious, you can add the Yankees to that list. Lilly came up in the Yankees’system and was almost traded to the Cubs in 2000, along with left fielder Alfonso Soriano, for outfielder Sammy Sosa.

Cubs GM Jim Hendry was noncommittal about whether he'll make any deals before the non-waiver deadline of July 31:

Hendry was asked whether he feels he needs to make a trade at this time. “We don’t feel the need for people to be dumped since we’re ten games back. A lot of time what the public thinks fits for a club, may not be. And so you can’t force trades. At the same time, even if you want to [make trades], that doesn’t mean you get what you wish [for].”

Hendry went on to talk about what his team needs to do over the next 70 ballgames. “It’s a balancing act of [doing] what’s best for the organization, playing enough people to be ready for next year, and then at the same time you have a lot of major league baseball games that you must try to win every day.”

After the Cubs' win over the Phillies on Sunday night, they remain 9.5 games out of first place. SB Nation Chicago will keep track of Cubs trade rumors -- whether they involve Lilly or anyone else -- and any deals made, right here.