A dozen Derrek Lee jerseys were neatly folded and stacked up next to his locker Wednesday morning, but the Cubs first baseman was nowhere to be seen.
Lee declined to speak to the media concerning a Tribune report that a trade to Atlanta was in the works. He didn't come out to the field and was receiving treatment on his lower back.
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry did not return phone calls, leaving manager Lou Piniella and players to react to the reported deal.
"I wouldn't put that much credence on rumors until something happens," Piniella said before Wednesday's game against the Padres.
Citing major-league sources, the Tribune's David Kaplan reported that a deal sending Lee to the Braves had not been finalized, but was nearly done. One holdup has been Lee's bad back, which has kept him sidelined the last two games.
The trade was first discussed Sunday evening when the Braves called Hendry and inquired about Lee as a potential replacement for Chipper Jones, who is out for the season with a knee injury.
As a 10-and-5 player, Lee can reject trades, as he did an earlier proposal that would have sent him to the Los Angeles Angels. But Lee was said to be OK with going to Atlanta because the Braves are in contention for a World Series berth.
The trade likely would bring a low-level prospect but provide the Cubs with salary relief (the Cubs would save around $3.2 million of Lee's $13 million salary).
"Usually in these type of deals you get players that go into the minor-league system," Piniella said. "Look, any manager would love Derrek Lee in his lineup and I certainly feel the same, but we'll just have to wait and see what happens."
Asked if trading Lee would hurt the Cubs, outfielder Alfonso Soriano said, "Yeah, mentally. All those guys we traded are great guys and we feel like a family. So when you lose somebody like that it hurts you mentally."
Lee declined to speak to the media concerning a Tribune report that a trade to Atlanta was in the works. He didn't come out to the field and was receiving treatment on his lower back.
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry did not return phone calls, leaving manager Lou Piniella and players to react to the reported deal.
"I wouldn't put that much credence on rumors until something happens," Piniella said before Wednesday's game against the Padres.
Citing major-league sources, the Tribune's David Kaplan reported that a deal sending Lee to the Braves had not been finalized, but was nearly done. One holdup has been Lee's bad back, which has kept him sidelined the last two games.
The trade was first discussed Sunday evening when the Braves called Hendry and inquired about Lee as a potential replacement for Chipper Jones, who is out for the season with a knee injury.
As a 10-and-5 player, Lee can reject trades, as he did an earlier proposal that would have sent him to the Los Angeles Angels. But Lee was said to be OK with going to Atlanta because the Braves are in contention for a World Series berth.
The trade likely would bring a low-level prospect but provide the Cubs with salary relief (the Cubs would save around $3.2 million of Lee's $13 million salary).
"Usually in these type of deals you get players that go into the minor-league system," Piniella said. "Look, any manager would love Derrek Lee in his lineup and I certainly feel the same, but we'll just have to wait and see what happens."
Asked if trading Lee would hurt the Cubs, outfielder Alfonso Soriano said, "Yeah, mentally. All those guys we traded are great guys and we feel like a family. So when you lose somebody like that it hurts you mentally."
