I love that the New York Yankees did not get Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners.

I love even more that the Yankees were livid with the Mariners because they thought they had a deal and then Seattle pulled it away from them at the last minute.

But I am confused about how the Texas Rangers, bankrupt and under the operation of Major League Baseball at the moment, can take on more than a million in salary for a pitcher they likely will not retain after the season while giving up rookie hitting phenom Justin Smoak as part of the deal.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand that Lee is an ace. And I understand that Texas is in first place.

He could push the Rangers, who started strong last year only to fade and barely miss the playoffs at the end of the season, into the postseason. But it’s the type of financial and personnel risk that teams not located in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and maybe Philadelphia are usually hesitant to make.

Smoak started slowly when he got the call to the Major Leagues early this season. But he’s picked it up of late and is considered a top prospect.

Allegedly, according to LaVelle E. Neal III during an interview on KFAN-AM this evening, the Rangers and Cincinnati Reds were the final two teams in the running for the rental services of Lee. Actually it surprises me a bit that either team was a finalist in this deal for the same reasons.

On the other hand, maybe I should just revel in the fact that the second half of the season, at least for now, still means something. The Yankees are still baseball’s best team. Had they acquired Lee they would have had a rotation of him, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Andy  Pettitte and Phil Hughes.

With Javier Vazquez in the rotation instead of Lee, it’s already one of baseball’s best bought rotations. Plug in Lee for Vazquez and, one through five, that rotation, matched with the offensive firepower that team always manages to buy for their lineup, and you could pretty much have handed them another World Series trophy this afternoon.

So thank you Seattle. And thank you Texas. Without having had a ton of time yet to study the rest of the players in this deal I am still confused that you both were willing and able to make this deal work.

But I do appreciate your keeping me interested in how the rest of the season will play out.