Benton, AR native Cliff Lee was traded for the second time in less than 5 months on Wednesday. In July, he was sent from Cleveland to Philadelphia, and he has now been dealt from Philadelphia to Seattle where he will don a Mariners jersey in 2010.

A total of 9 players were involved in the 4-team trade, most notably Roy Halladay, who will be sent from Toronto to Philadelphia. The other 7 players involved are each minor league prospects. Halladay, like Lee is a former Cy Young Award winner.

Total, Lee played 12 regular season games and 4 postseason games with the Phillies before the trade, going a combined 11-4 with a 2.78 ERA. Now with the Mariners, he will return to the American League in 2011 where he went 83-48 in 194 games with Cleveland from 2002-2009

Lee has now been traded 3 times in his career. The first came in 2002, when Montreal dealt him to Cleveland. The record among Arkansas for being traded at the major league level is 5, set by Alex Johnson, who was born in Helena, AR.

In November, the Phillies exercised an option on Lee’s contract, signing him to a one-year, $9 million dollar deal. The deal will be the same in Seattle.