Very neat card: 2002 Grandstand Cliff Lee, his first minor league card.
- Lee went 7-2 with a 3.23 ERA with Harrisburg in 2002.
In June that season he would be involved in one of the biggest–and best–trades in Cleveland Indians history.
- The Montreal Expos traded Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore and Lee Stevens to the Cleveland Indians for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew.
Sizemore and Lee would go on to become stars in Cleveland. Things would not work out with Phillips with the Tribe, but he would also go on to have an All-Star career with the Reds.
Of course, the Indians would end up being forced to Trade Lee in 2009 as part of a rebuild. People were bummed about the trade, but it worked out.
- Tribe traded Lee and Ben Francisco to the Philadelphia Phillies for Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, and Lou Marson.
Knapp was a great prospect who did not pan out. And–between us–I always liked Donald and Marson for the depth they brought to the team. But Carrasco has had a great career and a big part of the team’s resurgence.