Marlins foiled in two attempts to turn quick profit on Carlos Lee at deadline

Two chances for the Marlins to turn a quick profit on a sale of veteran first baseman Carlos Lee failed before the deadline when Lee rejected a trade to the Yankees, and the Marlins and Orioles couldn't agree on the cash price.

According to sources, the Yankees agreed to buy Lee for $1 million before the deadline before Lee, invoking his 14-team no-trade list, rejected that trade to stay in Miami. in another try, the Marlins sought $2.5 million from the Orioles for Lee, a source said, but Baltimore declined that offer.

The Orioles may not be on the no-trade list but it never came to that. It's not clear why the Marlins asked the Orioles for more money than the Yankees.

Had the Marlins completed either deal, they would have made a quick cash profit since their deal with the Astros required them to pay the pro-rated portion of the $480,000 minimum salary. Lee makes $18.5 million this year, so Houston is on the hook for more than $18 million.

Lee could still wind up going somewhere since he's sure to pass through waivers, which would allow the Marlins to resume their sale of him. ESPN first reported the Yankees possibility.

The Marlins traded a few veterans in July, including star Hanley Ramirez, but their attempted sale of Lee was a slightly different situation.