The Los Angeles Dodgers were the mystery team that put a claim in on Cliff Lee, sources confirmed to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark on Friday.
The waivers on Lee, however, expired Sunday at 1:30 p.m., sources told Stark. Since Lee pitched Sunday, it means the Phillies pulled him back and were unable to make a deal with the Dodgers. Lee now cannot get traded this month, since a team can only place a player on revocable waivers once in this period.
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said last week that the 33-year-old left-hander "isn't going anywhere."
Amaro declined to comment on whether Lee had been claimed after being placed on waivers. But the GM told reporters that those sorts of technicalities were "irrelevant," because he has no intention of trading Lee.
Lee was made available prior to Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline by the Phillies, who were looking for a big package in return, a source told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.
But Philadelphia then took Lee off the market, sources told Stark.
Lee went to the Texas Rangers a few weeks before the trade deadline in 2010 and helped the club reach its first World Series. He then signed as a free agent with the Phillies for five years and $120 million.
Lee, the AL Cy Young Award winner in 2008, is 2-6 with a 3.73 ERA for the Phillies this season.
It is common for major league clubs to put players on waivers, especially those with hefty contracts, after the trade deadline. If a player is claimed, the team can either work out a trade with that club or pull the player back.
Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti wouldn't comment when asked Friday if the team put a claim in on Lee.
The Dodgers also submitted a claim on Phillies right-hander Joe Blanton and acquired him Friday. Philadelphia will get a minor league player to be named, a source told ESPNLos Angeles.com's Ramona Shelburne.
Information from ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, ESPNLosAngeles.com's Ramona Shelburne and Arash Markazi and The Associated Press was used in this report.