The Pirates are "getting very close" to acquiring first baseman Derrek Lee from the Orioles, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. "Could very well happen tonight," Connolly writes. Lee is batting just .248/.306/.409 this season, but those numbers are deceiving. He's hitting .321 (17-for-53) with three home runs and 13 RBI since the All-Star break after a terrible first half and would be a nice upgrade for Pittsburgh.

The Orioles are looking to trade first baseman Derrek Lee "as soon as they can, mostly for salary relief," according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. Moving Lee would allow the Orioles to give newly-acquired Chris Davis an extended look at first base. Lee is batting just .248/.306/.409 this season, but those numbers are a little deceiving. After an awful first half, the veteran first baseman is batting .321 (17-for-53) with three home runs and 13 RBI since the All-Star break. The Pirates and D'Backs both have had scouts watching the Orioles recently, and they could be in the market for an upgrade at first base.

Derrek Lee went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in a win over the Yankees on Friday night. Lee had an RBI double in the top of the fourth and a solo blast in the sixth. He also drew a walk and scored twice. After an awful first half, the veteran first baseman is batting .321 (17-for-53) with three home runs and 13 RBI since the All-Star break. He is a candidate to be traded, possibly in an August deal like he was last season.

Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun thinks Derrek Lee's improved play of late "could accelerate a potential deal" with the first baseman. Lee is batting just .245/.301/.395 on the year but has hit .300/.340/.520 with a pair of homers in 13 games since the All-Star break. Zrebiec adds that with Lee still owed around $2.5 million for the rest of the season, he'd be likely to clear waivers and thus could be traded after the deadline as he was last season. The Pirates and D'Backs both have had scouts watching the Orioles recently, and they could be in the market for an upgrade at first base. However, both teams are also interested in members of the Orioles bullpen.

Derrek Lee hit a two-run homer in Baltimore's 8-6 loss to the Red Sox on Sunday. Lee's ninth bomb of the season was his third in five games. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come, but don't hold your breath if you're an owner an AL-only league owner.

Derrek Lee doubled and hit a solo homer in Friday's loss to the Red Sox. Lee came into Friday's action with just three hits in 28 at-bats in July, but he was able to get ahold of a Josh Beckett offering in the fifth inning. The former Cub has been a free agent bust to this point, batting just .233 with eight homers and 26 RBI.

Derrek Lee belted a walk-off homer against the Reds' Jose Arredondo Friday to propel the Orioles to a 12-inning win. It was his third hit of the night, as Lee previously singled, doubled and walked. Lee was hitless the previous two games but piled up a whopping 11 hits over the four games prior to that, so he's starting to heat up at the dish. He now has five homers and 19 RBI on the year to go along with a .247 average.