WHDH Reports Lowell Deal Done

[das11209]

OK - any idea how good Laird is with knuckle-ball?

[TheKilo]

 

Per ESPN Mikey Lowell is back. How cool is that? Leaving years and dollars on the table to come back here for three more years, good stuff. Pretty nice to think you are fans in a town that is now a desired destination for athletes across the major sports. Come a long way for sure.

 

Congrats to Mike and I’ve already spoken with a few guys on the team and suffice to say we’re all ectstatic. Now to get back to the FF beatings he’s been taking all year!

 

http://www.38pitches.com

[VA Sox Fan]

Amen! So glad he is staying where he belongs!

[Jayhawk Bill]

... a CFer who has declined since he left the Jake.

 

Coco? Hmmm.

 

As a hitter? Yeah, except that his broken finger messed up his swing, and that he got back to his old OBP in the second half of 2007, and that in Jacobs Field he's been a .389/.389/.444 hitter since joining Boston, and that his stats in Fenway were terrible before he came to Boston. Excepting possible park effects and effects of past injuries, OK...although that may be the whole issue.

 

As a fielder? Coco Crisp's 2007 season accounts for over 40% of his career value as a fielder, using FRAR as a metric. One can quibble with amounts, but it's clear that Coco's value as a defender has never been higher.

 

Coco Crisp is an above-average MLB CF, certainly more valuable than a catcher who's a marginal hitter even in the bandbox that the Rangers call a ballpark.

 

Laird's career batting line in Rangers Ballpark: .239/.297/.368

Laird's career batting line in Fenway: .222/.211/.278

 

If you look at the numbers, Laird looks much worse than Coco.

 

***

 

Great to have Lowell; no need to give away Coco for less than fair value.

[Hammer]

just goes to prove that theo is a damn good general manager.....he took a good look at the market and stuck to his guns...pardon the pun guns old friend...

 

mikey knows what side his bread is buttered for sure.....yeah he could have taken the 4 years and 50 mil that the phillies were offering but he didn't proving that he wasn't about just the money........he loves it here....he loves his teammates....and he loves us, the nation of the faithful......

I'm really glad that theo isn't dismantling this team like the 04 one.....but you guys tell me....how good would santana look in a red sox unie!

[Thumper]

3 year, $37.5 million for Lowell. That money would have only gotten us A-Rod for a single season roughly. Better to have Mike Lowell, glad to have him back. He's got the chemistry to play with the team. Just hope he can produce like he did this season.

[riverside sluggers]

Just got back from a long 2 day business trip... all i have to say is what a f***ing reasonable deal for the Red Sox. They have thus far made 4 sound moves this offseason at below market prices

 

Julian Tavarez- $3.85 million option picked up

Tim Wakefield- $4 million option

Curt Schilling- $8 million

Mike Lowell- 3 years/$37.5 million (I heard he turned down a 4 year/$50 million deal with the Phillies! Almost the same as Paul Konerko did)

 

I heard that last part on Lowell during this morning's sports center]

 

The only place I can see changing is possibly center field if Ellsbury is dealt in a deal for Santana' date=' which IMO is unlikely. So I don't think it is a reach to say what I said. I could see then possibly moving Lugo, but I doubt that as well.[/quote']

 

Bulllpen (Mike Timlin & Gagne are free agents) isnt set in stone as well as the bench (Mirabelli, Hinske and Kielty are all free agents as well)

[TheKilo]

mms://a1503.v108692.c10869.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1503/10869/v0001/mlb.download.akamai.com/10869/2007/open/teams07/bos/audio/112007_lowell_cc.wma?ct3=-1&ct4=mlb&ct5=20-Nov-07

 

 

Lowell's conference call. Link on redsox.com

 

First question was from Levinson, Lowell's agent: "Theo, would you consider giving Mike the fourth year?"

 

[Ray10]

Amazing we have our WS MVP back for 3 more years. Great Great news.

[example1]

Nothing wrong with this one. Lowell will be a solid player at a reasonable price who, if I'm not mistaken, is more than eligible to be traded if necessary in the future. Otherwise, he should be a fine veteran 3B, with a nicely adapted bat for Fenway. I guess next year's opening day lineup is more or less solidified already.

 

Ellsbury

Pedroia

Ortiz

Manny

Lowell

Drew

Youkilis

Varitek

Lugo

 

Not bad.

[ksushi]

Laird would be a good righty half of a platoon. I think he proved that he doesnt have the ability to be a full time guy' date=' hence he wont be the catcher of the future, but he sure does have a nice skill set for a backup. You could do worse than getting a solid defensive catcher with righty power for Fenway for a CFer who has declined since he left the Jake.[/quote']

 

I don't know about previous years, but the season before we acquired Crisp he hit .270 in the jake and .330 on the road. Just saying, leaving your old home park is not always the reason for a slump with a new team. The untimely hand injury, and added pressure of Boston might have something to do with it. The jake didn't help Coco too much.

[BoSox21]

Nothing wrong with this one. Lowell will be a solid player at a reasonable price who, if I'm not mistaken, is more than eligible to be traded if necessary in the future. Otherwise, he should be a fine veteran 3B, with a nicely adapted bat for Fenway. I guess next year's opening day lineup is more or less solidified already.

 

Ellsbury

Pedroia

Ortiz

Manny

Lowell

Drew

Youkilis

Varitek

Lugo

 

Not bad.

 

I'd say the batting order and rotation are definitely set (unless they swing something for Santana). Just have to work on the bullpen and bench now

[TheKilo]

Can we take a mulligan?

[Cocos Disciples]

Just take out "deal" and this thread title is accurate.

[Dojji]

You all realize that JD Drew was at least as much a factor in this last sucktacular game. Not absolving Lowell, but he's not the reason we're in early season struggles.

 

And speaking of early season struggles, I'm impressed with your restraint, actually letting 6 whole games go by before declaring that a player sucks and is done for the year. Congrats. Give yourself a MF'N pat on the back.

[TheKilo]

You all realize that JD Drew was at least as much a factor in this last sucktacular game. Not absolving Lowell, but he's not the reason we're in early season struggles.

 

And speaking of early season struggles, I'm impressed with your restraint, actually letting 6 whole games go by before declaring that a player sucks and is done for the year. Congrats. Give yourself a MF'N pat on the back.

 

You do realize Drew hit a HR today. This doesn't absolve Drew but Lowell sucks and will suck this season. His hip won't last.

 

Don't get all butthurt when I badmouth Lowell.

 

Year 1 of this three year deal sucked and year 2 hasn't been better - Lowell looks like s*** right now.

[Dojji]

6 (six) games. Call me in May and tell me all about how he sucks, but not after 6 games. Lowell earned his money when he was on the field last year, the injury was hardly his fault. Lowell has actually looked strong defensively, so I'm not prepared to write him off as damaged good just yet.

 

Meanwhile we haven't been really out of a game yet so I don't see why a bit of early season scuffling is reason for this wholesale panic.

[MANNYHOF24]

You do realize Drew hit a HR today. This doesn't absolve Drew but Lowell sucks and will suck this season. His hip won't last.

 

Don't get all butthurt when I badmouth Lowell.

 

Year 1 of this three year deal sucked and year 2 hasn't been better - Lowell looks like s*** right now.

 

Lowell has hit the ball alright for the first week. Im not too worried yet, he looks to be moving well on the field defensively. Talk to me in two weeks, no need to worry yet.

 

Edit- you do realize Lowell homered yesterday. JD has looked equally bad this year, if not worse.

[Teddyballgame10]

You do realize Drew hit a HR today. This doesn't absolve Drew but Lowell sucks and will suck this season. His hip won't last.

 

Don't get all butthurt when I badmouth Lowell.

 

Year 1 of this three year deal sucked and year 2 hasn't been better - Lowell looks like s*** right now.

 

Dude its 6 games in.

[BoSox21]

im not saying Lowell will be comeback player of the year but if anyone is gonna have a slow start on this team, its gonna be him

[TheKilo]

im not saying Lowell will be comeback player of the year but if anyone is gonna have a slow start on this team' date=' its gonna be him[/quote']

 

Why does Lowell get a free pass and JD get all the criticism?

[BoSox21]

f*** if I know, I can only speak for myself and I wasn't impressed with either's late-game at-bats yesterday.

 

But like I said, I expect Lowell to start slowly and if Tito is gonna have Drew out of the lineup every other day, I don't expect him to be able to get into any kind of rhythm either

[Dojji]

Why does Lowell get a free pass and JD get all the criticism?

 

Because prior to last year Lowell was a horse who played 140+ games nearly every year and was seen trying to play through a serious lower body injury last year. Drew has a reputation of not being willing to play through much of anything. It probably shouldn't but it does flavor the discussion of these two players.

 

Also Lowell's coming back from recent surgery. Drew has no such excuse.

 

That said, these guys will be valuable positives in the offensive column -- both of them -- by the end of the yearl

[TheKilo]

Because prior to last year Lowell was a horse who played 140+ games nearly every year and was seen trying to play through a serious lower body injury last year. Drew has a reputation of not being willing to play through much of anything. It probably shouldn't but it does flavor the discussion of these two players.

 

So Drew's reputation, which is pretty unfair and was given to him by a drunk who gets far too much credit for being a pioneer in this game, is a valid excuse to bash him when aside from last year had played in over 130 games regularly when he didn't get hit with a pitch in his wrist?

 

How is that a fair and objective way to look at things?

 

Also Lowell's coming back from recent surgery. Drew has no such excuse.

 

Drew had a HERNIATED DISK in his back. Are you serious?

[Dojji]

So Drew's reputation, which is pretty unfair and was given to him by a drunk who gets far too much credit for being a pioneer in this game, is a valid excuse to bash him when aside from last year had played in over 130 games regularly when he didn't get hit with a pitch in his wrist?

 

How is that a fair and objective way to look at things?

 

In the post you quoted, I said it probably wasn't fair, Generally I'm on Drew's side in these discussions, but I'm not blind to the fact that the impression is there, or why.

 

 

 

Drew had a HERNIATED DISK in his back. Are you serious?

 

I generally agree with you here but the fact is that it's very hard to see back pain unless it really hobbles a guy. It's easy to see a pronounced limp. So, Lowell got sympathy while some of us who really don't know what a back injury is and what it can mean to your ability to get through a day are quick to criticize Drew for the same stuff.

 

For the record, I'm not one of those guys. Back pain is a more or less constant companion for me so I have an idea how hard it is to play baseball through that.

[BoSox21]

Drew's been fighting an uphill battle for fan respect ever since he's come to Boston and Lowell's 2007 has earned him an eternal get of out jail free card for most fans

[riverside sluggers]

Rocco has been in Drew's place for 2 games while a lefty has been starting. But... the Oakland series will have 3 left handed starters facing the Sox

[TheKilo]

Drew's been fighting an uphill battle for fan respect ever since he's come to Boston and Lowell's 2007 has earned him an eternal get of out jail free card for most fans

 

EXACTLY.

[das11209]

I was not excited at all about Lowell signing unlike most fans. But that might have been the best alternative after it was clear we will not get A-Rod. The injury is unfortunate but it would have been a shocker anyway if he could ever reproduce 2007.

[Dojji]

There are not a lot of really good veteran 3B's out there right now. Other than A-Rod and Aramis Ramirez, neither of which had the remotest chance of going to the Sox, what else was out there? Rolen? Glaus? Beltre? None of them are particularly good options and all of them fall short in a comparison with the balance of power, patience and defense a healthy Lowell provides.

 

There's more credibility in the argument of going for a better 1B, but again there isn't a lot of guys who would be a better gamble as 1B than Lowell was as a 3B (Lowell has been a better hitter than Beltre each of the last 3 years). Teixeira is just about it, and Teixeira turned them down.

 

Point is, even if Lowell doesn't emerge as a lineup stalwart this year, that doesn't mean that the signing him was a bad idea. Personally I think he'll be fine in the long run -- he usually is.