We’ve been interested in Kyle Lohse for a while now, anticipating his upcoming free agent payday. I wrote an extensive post about him in April of this year. One can easily paint a picture of a hothead who couldn’t hack it in the American League.
Not if you’re Scott Boras though. Here’s Boras’ spin:
- "I think Kyle Lohse is going to be very (attractive) because he’s one of the few guys that are in that batch of 27-, 28-year-old arms." Lohse turns 29 in a few weeks.
- "And the other thing about Kyle is, he’s been durable." This is true – Lohse has never been on the DL. Though he’s only topped 200 innings once in his career, in 2003.
- "He’s pitched in the playoffs." Mostly in relief, but he did toss 12 solid innings over 2002-04.
- "He’s got a resume a lot of teams will look at because he’s been successful." Lohse has been above average in the National League, that much is true.
Lohse could return to the Phillies, but it looks like he’s headed to the highest bidder. I don’t fault him for that. In April I said that his contract could fall between Jason Marquis’s 3/21 and Gil Meche’s 5/55. The midpoint? Ted Lilly’s 4/40. Lohse has called the AL "arena baseball," so look for him to stay in the NL. The Cubs and D’Backs have a strong relationship with Boras, while the Padres, Braves, Astros, and Giants aren’t big fans.
