Astros fans gave a sigh of relief when the team traded Carlos Lee to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, closing another chapter on the good ole days that were actually few and far in between.
Lee, who gets a bad rap in Houston but actually performed well while here for the most part, was traded to the Marlins on Wednesday for a pair of minor league prospects, just a few days after preventing a deal that would have sent him to the Dodgers.
Here were some of the comments he gave to MLB.com:
"I'm OK with everything. I have no regrets. Houston is a great city and there's a lot of good people there. I had a great time there, and from now on I wish them the best. Hopefully they get started again and rebuild for the future and have an opportunity to win again."
"I always did my best and have a lot of respect for the game. I respect the game. This game has been very good to me and when you respect the game you have to do it right. I did nothing but my best there. I had great years there and since the first day I got there I went down a little bit, but one of my worst years was last year and I still drove in 94 runs. I have no complaints."
In return for Lee, the Stros get third baseman Matt Dominguez and left-hander Rob Rasmussen. Dominguez reports to the Astros in Pittsburgh on Thursday, while Rasmuseen heads to Double-A Corpus Christi, as it was noted on Wednesday after the trade.
This is a deal that should work out for both parties, since the Stros have been looking to rebuild for the last couple of years, and the Marlins are one of the few teams in the league looking for hitting production from first base.
It is unclear how much Dominguez and Rasmussen, both 23, will contribute to the Stros' future. But neither of them have spectacular minor league numbers.
Other players that could be on the trading block include Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Jed Lowrie. General manager Jeff Luhnow says more conversations about certain players are sure to come.
"We're going to continue to have dialogue with other clubs throughout the month of July, and if we feel there's another win-win deal out there, we won't hesitate to consider it," Luhnow said. "But at this point we feel good where we are."
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