Mark Hale of The New York Post says the Mets are willing to trade for left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee without requiring a negotiating window to sign him to an extension.

If this is true, the Mets are gambling their future and they’re moving forward with a “win-it-now” attitude. The Mariners are likely interested in young, affordable and solid talent. The Mets will have to give up many of their top prospects for a possibility that Lee would only be in a Mets’ uniform until the end of this season. If the Mets can secure an extension with Lee, giving up prized Minor Leaguers would be an easier pill to swallow.

The Mets have gone through this exercise before when they traded for starting pitcher Johan Santana. The team used a 72-hour window to agree to a contract extension and insure they weren’t trading for Santana for only one season.

Hale says the Mets are unlikely to trade some of their top Major League ready players such as Ike Davis, Jenrry Mejia or Jonathon Niese. Hale says possible prospects that could be included in a deal are Ruben Tejada, Fernando Martinez, shortstop Wilmer Flores, right-handed pitcher Jeurys Familiar or catcher Josh Thole.

In case you were wondering about a possible contract extension, Hale says Lee is expected to eventually receive a contract for perhaps six-years and $150 million.