Report: Carlos Lee turned down a trade to the Yankees - MLB

The Marlins got Carlos Lee from the Astros because he didn’t want to go to a contender in Los Angeles. Now they’re stuck with him because he didn’t want to join the Yankees, two sources told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark.

Lee presumably would have been picked up by the Yankees in lieu of Casey McGehee, who was acquired from the Pirates for Chad Qualls just before the trade deadline. McGehee offers extra versatility by virtue of being able to play third base, whereas Lee would have given the Yankees a more consistent bat as a first base and DH option while they try to cover for their injuries.

It will be interesting to see if the Marlins just go ahead and release Lee at some point. The Astros are already on the hook for most of his salary, so there’s little financial incentive for keeping him. Of course, with Gaby Sanchez gone and Logan Morrison on the disabled list, the Marlins still have use for the warm body at the moment.

Lee has hit .271/.388/.343 with one homer and 12 RBI in 21 games since joining the Marlins last month. Overall, he’s at .284/.348/.396 with six homers and 41 RBI in 328 at-bats for the year.

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles signed outfielder Aaron Hicks less than 24 hours after Cedric Mullins went down with a strained right groin.

Mullins went on the 10-day injured list, but the Orioles are hoping Hicks can help defensively in the spacious outfield at Camden Yards. Hicks was released last week by the New York Yankees with more than 2 1/2 seasons left on his contract.

“We had noticed that he was a free agent even before the injury,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said. “When the injury occurred and it became pretty clear this was going to be an IL, it seemed like a good fit even more so at that time.”

The Orioles are responsible for paying Hicks just $483,871, a prorated share of the $720,000 minimum salary. The Yankees owe him the rest of his $10.5 million salary this year, plus $9.5 million in each of the next two seasons and a $1 million buyout of a 2026 team option.

The 33-year-old Hicks hit just .188 in 28 games for the Yankees this year.

“We have stuff that we look at from a scouting and evaluation perspective,” Elias said. “It’s very different from just looking at the back of a baseball card, and we hope that we get a bounceback from anyone we bring here.”

Hicks batted .216 last season.

“Hopefully that’s a good thing for him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the Baltimore deal. “A lot of time here and a lot of good things happened for him here. I know the last couple of years have been a struggle. But hopefully it’s a good opportunity for him and certainly wish him well. Not too well being in our division and a team we’re chasing, but hopefully it’s a really good fit for him.”

Mullins left a loss to Cleveland after he pulled up while running out an infield grounder. Outfielder Colton Cowser – the fifth pick in the draft two years ago – is hitting .331 at Triple-A Norfolk, but he went on the IL in the past couple weeks.

“Certainly he was building a case towards promotion consideration prior to his injury and prior to Cedric’s injury,” Elias said. “We’ll just see where we’re at.”

Hicks was active for the game but not in the starting lineup. Austin Hays, normally Baltimore’s left field, was in Mullins’ usual spot in center.

When the wall in left at Camden Yards was pushed significantly back before last season, it made left field a bigger challenge defensively.

“In this park … you really need two center fielders,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Aaron’s got a lot of center-field experience. Played left field here before also. Brings the defensive aspect and then the switch-hitting.”