Like another one of those piss-poor reruns of Saved by the Bell: The College Years, I was on again! One of the steps of my foolproof plan for a successful offseason has come to fruition. The Red Sox are actively shopping Mike Lowell. Actively, to me, would be calling around and fielding offers from all of the teams in Major League Baseball. But the Red Sox have basically put a Shaquille O'Neal sized boot in Mike Lowell's ass and showed him the door by telling all interested teams that they will eat HALF of his contract which makes a 12 mil annual salary an affordable and more palatable 6 mil/ year.
A few of the teams that could take him on would be:
- The World Series runner up's Philadelphia Phillies. After parting ways with Pedro Feliz, they need a new 3rd baseman. They had interest in Mike Lowell when he previously hit the free agent market. Adding another "Major League" bat would also be a huge upgrade, from the pothole that was his spot in the order. If I were to take bets on where Mike would end up, I'm going to go with the Phillies, for a B level prospect with SOME upside.
- If the Giants want to keep Tim Lincecum from testing the free agent waters when his current contract is up, they need to sign offense, and they need to sign it fast. Mike Lowell could very well be a bargain and a VERY productive player in their lineup and the Giants REALLY need to move their uber slugger, ultra hefty 3rd baseman Pablo Sandoval to first base. They (Giants) should be a player in the Lowell sweepstakes.
- Because Oakland is the place where washed up, has been players go to roost for affordable contracts (See Jason Giambi and Nomar Garciaparra) and Eric Chavez has had career H1N1 for the better part of 5 years now. Have to give them the time of day also.
Thus far all reports are saying that the Red Sox have targeted 4 Scott Boras clients. While this may prove to be a VERY costly winter having Bernie Madoff for an agent, the players that they are targeting (Matt Holliday, Adrian Beltre, Rick Ankiel, and Mike Gonzalez) are almost precisely what the doctor ordered. I say almost because why the hell are we signing Rick Ankiel? I mean don't get me wrong, I love great playoff performing pitchers, oh it's for ANOTHER left handed hitting backup outfielder, Why? Unless this is just another asinine Ken Rosenthal rumor (remember that Papelbon and Lowell for Cabrera speculation? Ugh) then someone else is getting flipped in a deal.
All the rest of the assumed targets are exceptional talents and would be a godsend to this geriatric ship we are starting to float on. It will be interesting to see who takes on the Tin Man, but you can assume that the rest of my plan will come to a head before the start of the 2010 season against the World Champion New York Yankees.
Stay Tuned
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