Derrek Lee was once one of the most feared first baseman in the league. He’s accumulated 31.5 WAR in his career including a 7.5 WAR year in 2005 with the Cubs, but then things went south. In 2010, he hit .260. In 2011, he hit .267. However, Lee proved after the trade deadline last year that he could still hit. After being traded to the Pirates last year, Lee hit .337/.398/.584 with 7 home runs in 28 games. He was a free agent at the end of last year, but has turned down all comers since. It seemed as if Lee was done with baseball.
However, Ken Rosenthal, in response to an “Open Letter” by Dejan Kovacevic of Trib Live, said he’s been told Derrek Lee is open to playing again if given the right opportunity.
The Pirates are in a first place tie with the Cincinnati Reds after yesterday’s win and the Reds’ loss. They battled for first for most of the summer last year until finally succumbing to fatigue and overachievement, but could Derrek Lee help them maintain their momentum this season?
Their current first basemen, Matt Hague, Casey McGehee, and Garrett Jones are hitting .208, .203, and .243 respectively. Derrek Lee, on the other hand, is a career .281/.365/.495 hitter. He is 36 years old, but proved last season he could still play the field at or above league average for first basemen.
Back in May, Ken Rosenthal reported that Lee was working out during the season and all of the offseason. At the time, there was some interest from the Brewers, but that interest has seemed to have died down. The Pirates may still pursue Lee. Throughout the offseason, they were very aggressive in their attempts to re-sign Lee. If his rejections haven’t turned the club off, Lee may consider returning to the Bucs.
While he hasn’t come out and said it, Lee is most likely looking for an opportunity to win. Lee won a World Series with the Marlins in 2003, but he has only played in three other postseasons after that.
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