More on the Mikey trade scenario....
There was talk of Sox trading for Adrian Gonzalez to play 1st base but the Padres want Buchholz and that would leave them without a 5th starter and no bargaining chips for a name like Halladay. The Beltre scenario doesn't work because he would be too costly, especially since the Sox are paying $9 Mil of Mikey's $12 Mil contract. So here's a couple of possibilities.....
The Red Sox may not sign anyone to replace Lowell. They could move Youkilis to 3rd full time and play Victor Martinez at 1st with Varitek and Max Ramirez sharing time behind the plate. Theo's talking about 2010 as a “bridge year” so they might try to make this scenario work. The biggest problem is the catching. Ramirez is only 25, and posted close to a .300 average through three years of low A minor league ball, but has been a disappointment lately, hitting .234 in 76 AAA games last season while incurring numerous injuries since his 2008 MLB experience.
Red Sox could flip Ramirez in another trade. Blue Jays and Padres could use a young catcher so the Red Sox could simply be adding pieces to make a trade for Halladay or Gonzalez. They could also make a trade with the Tigers for Miguel Cabrera, but the Tigers have Gerald Liard and the young Alex Alvia behind the plate right now. Almost every team in the league would welcome a young catcher of Ramirez’ pedigree, so Theo could be piecing a multi-team deal together that would surprise us all…
Stay tuned folks, the hot stove is getting hotter!!!
Just got an email from my son, in Ft Worth. He says Ramirez is better than Saltalamachia! Looks like we'll see.
Here are parts of a really nice article about Mikey written for NESN by Michael Hurley.....
There really isn't much more that Mike Lowell could have done.
The veteran third baseman defined the word "professional" in his four seasons in a Red Sox uniform, and for his efforts, it appears as though he's being given a one-way ticket to Texas.
Of course, you can only feel so bad for a man that will make $12 million to play a game next year, but the case of Mike Lowell is one that involves much more than money.
It began in Boston with the description that any player would love to have bestowed upon him: "throw-in." That's all Lowell was supposed to be, a $9 million problem for two years, then he'd go away. Coming off his worst career season, that tag wasn't entirely unfair. So when he was included in the deal that sent Hanley Ramirez to Florida and Josh Beckett to Boston, expectations couldn't have been lower.
It didn't take long for Lowell to shatter those expectations, hitting .318 with 11 doubles, two homers and 12 RBIs in April of 2006. By the end of May -- when he was hitting .317 with seven homers, 23 doubles and 29 RBIs -- it was safe to say that he was outperforming Beckett, who, despite a 7-2 record, was struggling with a 4.46 ERA and 14 home runs allowed in 11 starts.
For the Red Sox, the production at third base was a bonus. The year before, Bill Mueller hit just 10 home runs and drove in 62 runs. Lowell finished 2006 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs in 153 games, all while posting a .987 fielding percentage.
Lowell's ability to be a productive player gave the Red Sox enough comfort to head into 2007 without seeking a replacement, and Lowell bettered his numbers across the board: .324 average, 21 home runs, 120 RBIs. He helped carry the Red Sox through the World Series, driving in 15 runs in 14 postseason games on his way to winning World Series MVP.
His reward? Lengthy and uncomfortable contract negotiations that would last the better part of a month. Lowell wanted four years. The Red Sox were hardly willing to offer a third. Eventually, the two sides settled on a three-year, $37.5 million deal.
Lowell reportedly turned down a better offer from the Phillies (four years, $50 million), opting to stay in the city that embraced him after just two years.
In an injury-plagued 2008 season, Lowell endeared himself to the New England region for playing through obvious pain. He wasn't making the plays which he had made look so routine in his career, but it wasn't for lack of effort. Lowell's value was proven by his absence in the postseason, as the Red Sox scored just four runs per game in the ALCS against the Rays. There's little question that having Lowell's bat in the lineup over that of Mark Kotsay would have made the difference in that series.
By the end of 2008, Lowell was the second-most productive third baseman in the American League from 2006-08 with 273 RBIs, trailing only his former high school castoff Rodriguez. Lowell was first in doubles with 111, and second in batting average (.297).
Then came 2009, where Lowell never had the chance to get himself right after undergoing hip surgery. He never took himself out of the lineup, something that may have hurt him in the long run.
"I'm a little frustrated that I think things were going so good for these first 60 games, and then I just woke up one morning, I felt really tight," Lowell told The Boston Globe in late June. "I played through it, and it really hasn't gone away."
At that point, Lowell was optimistic that the pain would disappear. Unfortunately for him, it did not, and it eventually sunk his season.
It's not overly unrealistic to believe that given the benefit of five full months of rest before spring training, Lowell's hip pains could be much less severe in 2010. The Red Sox, however, feel otherwise.
Now, it appears to be just a matter of time before Lowell is once again shipped out of town, told "thank you" and sent along his way.
Baseball is a professional sport dictated by business, and right now, the Red Sox feel that it's better business to pay $9 million for Lowell to play for another team. In the long-term plans, it could work out for both parties, but as for the present, it just doesn't seem right.
i heard... i feel really really badly about this one. it is these moments i just want to give up being a fan, really. i know its a 'business', but i dont see it that way. i know they get paid crazy money and blablabla - but, i never would have wanted to see lowell go, i just cant believe it. i havent felt this bad about a trade since bronson arroyo -but actually this one feels worse. i love mikey - a great player, a true class act - solid, graceful, class act. can't stand it.....
YAY!! Mikey has a torn ligament in his right thumb and will need surgery. Looks like the deal to TX is not going to happen. He'll need 6-8 weeks to recover. Sorry he needs the surgery, but glad the trade is off!
That's what they call a blessing in disguise..;o)
