At least, that's how Boston Globe reporter Nick Cafardo is telling it:Derek Lowe is putting Boston first on his list of preferred destinations now that he's a free agent.What about the Dodgers? Lowe apparently isn't getting the vibe that LA wants him back, and considering he's still a little peeved at being taken out of Game 4 of the NLCS after just five innings, that's probably just fine with him.
Lowe told this reporter that while money is important, he wants to go to a quality organization committed to winning, and no organization, in his mind, fits that description better than Boston.
Lowe is already 35 years old, but he's coming off his best season in six years, posting a 3.24 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 211 innings, so there should be no shortage of teams interested in throwing ungodly sums of money in his direction. According to Cafardo, no fewer than 12 teams are believed to be interested in Lowe, including the usual big-money spenders such as both New York teams, the Tigers and the cross-town Angels.
While Boston may be on top of Lowe's list now, don't be surprised if the Tigers make a push. First and foremost, the Tigers need pitching to complement their high-octane lineup. But secondly, Lowe was born and raised in nearby Dearborn, MI, which is just minutes from downtown Detroit -- his high school was a mere 12 miles away from old Tiger Stadium. This may very well be the last contract he ever signs, and it has to be at least a little intriguing for him to finish his career in front of his friends and family with the team he grew up cheering for.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-21-2008 @ 3:44PM
dodger4evr57 said...
trade him if he doesnt want to play with the dogers then we dont want and need him,now i know why he pitched the way he did ,u could see it in his eyes , when i saw his syes i saw that his head was never in any of the postseason games he was pitching , and that is the first time i have ever heard of a pitcher to say thay there is no way we can beat the phillies, u should of never came toLA if thats the way u felt lowe, from me get back on the haorse u came on and go back to ur sorry ass red sox
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10-21-2008 @ 5:26PM
Allessandra said...
Dodger,
Careful who you're calling "sorry ass." If I'm not mistaken, the Dodgers are equally as "sorry ass" as the Red Sox right now.
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10-21-2008 @ 10:41PM
Martin said...
Allessandra- Dodgers aren't quite as bad as Boston. After all they each got to the same place, but the Dodgers spent a lot less money doing it (even after the ridiculous Andrew Jones contract). And Boston paid for Manny's heroics in LA.
10-22-2008 @ 10:03AM
sliksvelte said...
Martin, the Dodgers were a sub-.500 team before Manny arrived. If they lose both Lowe and Manny to other teams, don't expect a return to the playoffs.
As for Lowe to the Red Sox, not bloody likely. Starting pitching, despite some of the failures in the playoffs, is not a weakness. The front four are pretty much locked up in Beckett, Lester, Dice-K, and Masterson. The last slot is probably a lower-cost veteran pitcher than what Lowe would cost, or one of the young guys like Bucholtz or perhaps Michael Bowden.
What the Sox need to do, in no particular order is:
a) Improve the bullpen
b) Make a decision about Varitek and the catching corps
c) Add a big bat
d) Add a veteran starting pitcher
I just don't see adding a pitcher like Lowe to the rotation as a big get for the Sox. If his price doesn't preclude Boston from making other moves, then he'd be a nice add, but not at the expense of being able to make other more important acquisitions.
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10-22-2008 @ 8:56PM
Martin said...
If they lose Lowe, they save $10 million. If Kent and Garciaparra retire, that's another $20 million. Kemp, Loney, DeWitt, Martin and Ethier were each earning $1/2 million or less last year. Same with Billingsley, Kershaw, Broxton, McDonald, and Wade. The Dodgers have a lot of young, inexpensive players, who are only going to get better, as well as a lot of money to spend on free agents, so you should expect to see them in the playoffs for the next several years.