On Wednesday evening, the Atlanta Braves who sit atop the National League Eastern Division, acquired first baseman Derrek Lee from the Chicago Cubs.

Derrek Lee had to clear waivers before he could be included in any trade. No teams claimed him off of waivers, so he was eligible to be traded to Atlanta. The Cubs get 3 minor league prospects in return for the 34 year old power hitting first baseman. Lee, certainly isn’t having his best season, but he is still hitting .251 with 16 homers and 56 RBI’s in 109 games played. Last year he hit .306 with 35 homers for the Cubs.

Entering the last year of his five-year, $65 million contract, he had hoped to put up bigger numbers when the season began. He also hoped to be in a pennant race. That wasn’t happening in Chicago, but in Atlanta it’s another story. The Braves enter tonight’s game, 2 1/2 games ahead of the defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies, with 42 games remaining on the season.

Atlanta had Troy Glaus at first base, and he was putting up similar numbers offensively as Lee. However Glaus went down with an injury, and people in Atlanta believe he is worn down.

“The main thing is we’ve got six weeks to go and Atlanta’s in first place. They’re playing great baseball. It just felt right. A chance to go to the postseason, it’s hard to pass up,” Lee said, in a press conference in Chicago right before he left for Atlanta.

Derrek Lee looks forward to the playoff run, one which he hasn’t seen since his days in Florida with the Marlins.