PHILADELPHIA — Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says Cliff Lee is going nowhere.

After Philadelphia traded right-hander Joe Blanton to the Dodgers on Friday for a player to be named or cash, reports surfaced that Lee was claimed off waivers.

Jon Heyman of CBSsports.com reported that Lee was claimed off waivers. Jon Morisi of Fox Sports tweeted that the Dodgers made the claim.

Asked about the reports, Amaro said, "It is irrelevant because he is not going anywhere."

Earlier this week, the cost-cutting Phillies traded outfielders Shane Victorino to the Dodgers and Hunter Pence to San Francisco.

Lee, who will turn 34 on Aug. 30, is owed approximately $95 million through 2015. The left-hander has a no-trade clause that prevents a deal to any of 21 teams without his consent.

Lee is still considered a front-line pitcher despite his struggles this season. He is 2-6 with a 3.73 earned-run average, and his 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings is the second-best average of his career. But he is allowing 1.1 home runs per nine innings, his highest rate since 2007.

Notes

• OF Johnny Damon was designated for assignment by Cleveland. Damon, 38, has 2,769 career hits.

• Oakland traded C Kurt Suzuki (.218, 18 runs batted in) to Washington for a minor-league catcher.

• Rays 3B Evan Longoria, sidelined since May 1 with a torn hamstring, could rejoin the team as soon as Tuesday.

• After criticizing Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine on radio, ex-pitcher Curt Schilling got a standing ovation from Boston fans when he was inducted into the team's hall of fame. Asked how he thought the Valentine era in Boston will end, Schilling told WEEI: "Mount Vesuvius."

• Three days after filing for bankruptcy protection, former slugger Jose Canseco, 48, signed with the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings of the North American Baseball League.