Derrek Lee has got to be the most exciting player in baseball that no one is watching. Despite the fact that he making a serious run at the triple crown, his is still not a household name outside of Chicago, where statues are currently being erected in his honor. After last night's 2-RBI double, Lee tied Carlos Lee for the NL lead in RBI with 77. He already leads the NL in Batting Average (.376) and Homeruns (30). Oh yeah, and he's a former Gold Glove and World Series Champion.

Speaking of exciting, now that the AL East is more of a three-team race as opposed to the traditional Yankees/Red Sox battle, things are much more interesting. Each game is crucial, which means there's lots of good baseball to watch, and track, each night. Last night's Yankees/Rangers game was fantastic as Mike Mussina and Chan Ho Park combined for 13 shut out innings before Park gave up a run in the 8th. The Rangers came back in the bottom of the same inning and took the lead on a Hank Blaylock 2-run homerun. In Minnesota, the Orioles led 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth before giving up two runs, including one on a wild pitch. And in Boston, of course, Curt Schilling recorded his first save since 1992 as the Sox beat the Devil Rays 5-2.

Of course, things look to get even more interesting as this is the time of year when a flurry of trades can be expected to change the face of most of the teams making a playoff run. Yesterday, the Red Sox DFA'd reliever Alan Embree to make room for infielder Tony Graffanino (who the Sox failed to get as a free agent two years ago) and outfielder Adam Hyzdu (who the Sox traded in the offseason). The DFA of Embree may mean a trade is in the very near future, as Embree is still a valuable commodity, despite his struggles this season. His release, though probably very necessary, stings a bit, in part because he has been an integral part of the Sox bullpen for the last few seasons, and even moreso because it was he who stood on the mound as the Sox finished off the Yankees that memorable night in October. Still, change is necessary, and more can certainly be expected in the future as the rumors of potential trades involving Bill Mueller and Kevin Millar remain possibilities.

According to ESPN Insider, Boston's most hated center fielder could find a home in Boston's most hated center field:
The Yankees are interested in Eric Byrnes as a potential center field solution, The New York Times. According to the Rocky Mountain News, the Rockies immediately had inquiries about Byrnes after he was acquired from Oakland. Byrnes and Dustan Mohr are very similar, and the Rockies don't figure to keep both of them, especially if Ryan Spilborghs shows promise in his cameo appearance. Odds are that either Byrnes or Mohr gets dealt.
Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd is not in any hurry to deal Byrnes, the Denver Post reports. "I am not anxious to do anything there," O'Dowd told the newspaper. "I still think I can find a way to make him fit in [next year's budget]."

And the Orioles, one or two pitchers away from making a very serious run at winning the AL East, appear to be close to acquiring A.J. Burnett:
A.J. Burnett expects to be traded soon, the Palm Beach Post reports. A deal, likely with Baltimore, is nearing completion, although a three-way trade between the Marlins, Orioles and Pirates surfaced late Monday.

In a straight-up deal with Baltimore, the Marlins would send Burnett, third baseman Mike Lowell and Triple-A outfielder Eric Reed to the O's for reliever Jorge Julio, outfielder Larry Bigbie and pitching prospect Hayden Penn.

In the three-way deal, the Marlins would acquire pitcher Mark Redman from Pittsburgh -- along with Penn, Julio and Bigbie. In return, the Marlins would send Burnett to Baltimore and Lowell to Pittsburgh. The Pirates then would send first baseman Daryle Ward to Baltimore, and the Orioles also would acquire Reed. The Marlins would be responsible for a large portion of Lowell's contract, which has $21 million remaining through 2007.

Late last night, Jayson Stark nixed the idea of a three-way deal, maintaining that once the Orioles and Marlins figure out what to do with Mike Lowell, the deal will be done. As pointed out yesterday on Fire Brand of the AL, one has to wonder if the Sox aren't attempting to swoop in and, in addition to their offer of Arroyo for Burnett, try to find a place for Lowell at third, with Billy Mueller possibly being shipped to Minnesota for JC Romero.

Stark also mentioned that the Sox suggested to the Phillies that if Burnett found his way to Boston, they'd consider trading him for Wagner. Unless Ryan Howard was to be included in that deal, no thank you.

Billy Wagner has been quoted as saying that he would be disappointed if he wasn't traded if the Phillies were out of the playoff race. Since we still don't know how long Keith Foulke will take to recover from surgery, and we can assume (and hope) that Schilling once again becomes the Sox ace, to that I say, go Nats!

Speaking of the Nationals, they're trying to convince Barry Larkin to come out of retirement to fill in for the struggling Cristian Guzman. Crazy as that is, it's nowhere near as amazing as the fact that the Expos/Nationals are currently leading the NL East, despite the fact that they have allowed 4 more runs than they've scored this season.

Stay tuned...