The Pirates' interest in Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee was first reported by Baseball Prospectus' John Perrotto late Thursday night and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Dejan Kovacevic tweets the team is still interested in him.
#Pirates have inquired on #Orioles 1B Derrek Lee. I'm told money no issue, but prospect price high. #tradedeadline
Lee isn't worth blue chip prospects. He strikes out a lot and his on-base percentage is pretty low at just .306. If Baltimore is looking for a Rudy Owens level prospect, let alone top-of-the-line guys like Jameson Tallion, Stetson Allie and Starling Marte, the Pirates are probably better off looking elsewhere.
That said, he might be worth a pair of fringe prospects, as he has a very solid track record of second half success. Between 2008-2010, Lee posted a robust .308 avg./.908 OPS after the All-Star break and he's keeping with that trend this season at .321/.972.