Today, Mike Lowell talked to the press about his role and future with the Boston Red Sox. Lowell wanted to reach out to the fanbase after his trade to the Texas Rangers failed to materialize in the offseason because of injury.
Mike Lowell has comes to terms with the business of baseball, and that his past services to the ballclub shouldn’t be overlooked, but also shouldn’t prevent the club from continuing to improve position by position. He wanted to pass this along to the fans as well, to not look at his situation with any bitterness or contempt for the front office’s decisions.
Lowell said that while he appreciates the support of the fans, “Nobody should feel sorry for me.” He said he is able to separate baseball from his life and that his life is fine. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to be in the big leagues this season,” he said…[snip]
“I’m getting ready for a season. I think I’m pretty intelligent in a sense that there’s no real playing time for me here basically barring a major injury and I’m not really in the business of hoping somebody gets hurt so I can get at-bats. For me, I feel like I’m more prepared and ready for a full season than I was last year. So why shouldn’t I play more than I did last year? Whether it’s here or somewhere else? I can’t control that.
Lowell’s new contract was how a large-market team says “Thank You” to a player for a job well done. While his 2008-2010 contract definitely wasn’t the most efficient deal Theo Epstein has handed out during his tenure, it was a respectable gesture for the relative steal Lowell turned out to be.
In December of 2005, during Epstein’s absence, Lowell was acquired as a throw-in piece in order to acquire Josh Beckett. Mike cost the team $18 million over two years. During that time, Lowell contributed 8.7 Wins Above Replacement, equal to a market value of $33.3 million. Most of Lowell’s value was due to his immensely successful 2007 season, where he totaled 5.3 WAR; the 5th highest production by a major league thirdbaseman. Lowell trailed only Alex Rodriguez, David Wright, Chipper Jones, and Miguel Cabrera. Lowell also continued to impress with the glove, as his defense was excellent both years, and helped contribute to his overall production. Lastly, he even was awarded the World Series MVP that year, as his 1.018 OPS during the postseason rocketed the Red Sox offense to an elite level.
There were many questions about Lowell’s ability to stay healthy for multiple years, and there was popular dissent for tendering him more than a one or two year contract. While the contract only became an albatross after an injury plagued 2009 cost Lowell his excellent defensive prowess, one of the things I’m starting to realize as a fan of a large market team is that sometimes these contracts aren’t that bad.
Lowell’s 2008 contract could have crippled a team like the Marlins or Rays, teams who must rely on being coldly efficient with their contracts to stay within their financial limits. For the Red Sox, I can almost believe Epstein and company knew this 2010 season would be a washout, but decided to award Lowell his due contract anyway.
We saw this last year with Varitek, as the smart move probably wasn’t to tender him a contract, but the thank you contract served as a good bridge to Victor Martinez.
There’s that word again.
We’ve done our fair share of explaining why Lowell should be moved for the good of the ballclub:
– Beltre is obviously the better fit to man the position full time
– A $25M platoon at DH is wasted, as Ortiz AND Lowell need full time at-bats in order to rebound
– With Youk, Ortiz and Martinez sharing 1B and DH, Lowell probably wouldn’t see more than 8 at bats per week
On April 1st, Mike Lowell will most likely be somewhere else. Maybe earlier if he has a spectacular spring training.
You may not have the health to bring back your range at third base, and your walk rate took another hit, Mike. But you’re right that the fan base shouldn’t and won’t feel bad for you and your search for playing time. What you’ve done for us so far has been worthwhile to watch, and while it’s time to part ways, that won’t undermine our gratitude.
.. and most likely, I’ll be recycling this article in 10 months when Ortiz isn’t tendered a contract. Hopefully 7-15 years from now, when we have these feelings again about our current crop of young players, we can look back and appreciate the positives they brought, even when we’ve realized it’s time to go.