Derek Lowe Rumors: Monday

Here's how this will play out.

The Braves aren't willing to pony up the dough. The price is going up, not down.

The Phillies and Red Sox only has a passing interest. The Angels have even less interest than that.

That leaves the Mets as the only serious contender, and would cave if they need to. Unfortunately, without a bidding partner, Lowe won't get his $16M per year, and the Mets won't get him for $12M.

Somewhere in the middle. And he'll be a great fit for the Mets.

At the end of the day, I still think the Mets will get him for somewhere around 4yrs $14mil per yr.

Why would the Braves willing to through $$ to Burnett but not to Lowe? Lowe will give you the 200+ innings and have shot every 5th day to be in the ball game to win. What else you want for a guy who is the top FA SP on the market. Something stinks unless FW has a Trade lined up for a Grienke Type. I would more worried about Burnetts getting injuried than Lowe age. He has been a work horse which on the current market is the best option Atl can and should lock down now.

Braves or Mets. Simple.

There's a HUGE difference between Lowe and Adam Eaton. To begin with, one has actually been good while the other has never actually been good.

And, I agree. Lowe is much less of a risk than Burnett. Braves should definitely target Lowe, and bid well on him. It's a win-win situation for ATL. Either they get Lowe or they raise the price for the Mets.

I don't get the decision by Atlanta to offer so much to Burnett but not nearly as much to Lowe.

I get that the Braves want an ace, because they really don't have anything but potential 2/3's (Jurrjens, Vazquez). Burnett definitely could have been that ace, but he was also a huge risk. Lowe probably won't be more than a good 2/3 either, but he's more likely to maintain that level for the duration of a long term deal.

How could you offer Burnett a 5/80 deal, then offer Lowe 3/36?

If Atlanta can afford to spend $80M on a pitcher like A.J., then why not at least fork up 3/48 or 4/56 for Lowe.

A rotation of Lowe, Jurrjens, Vazquez, Campillo and Morton/Smolts/Glavine/Reyes is still pretty good, even if there is no lockdown ace to hold it all together.

scribbletone: its the Yankees. Many deals they make don't make sense. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I love Lowe. I want him back in Boston. But 3/45 is ridiculous for a sinker ball pitcher, especially one at Lowe's age. 3/36 is more than fair. You can't base other players contracts of contracts that are created by the Yankees. If we did that then Youkilis should get signed to a 8/$181MM too just because he put up similar number to Teixeira last season... Nope. Not gonna happen.

couldn't agree with you more special. but i think omar's concern is that his ego WILL be hurt and if he receives an offer that he likes, he may not come back to the mets and ask them to up their offer. The Mets can't afford to lose out on Lowe. Wolf is nowhere near as good.

Buster Olney's offseason pieces have been much about nothing except for the Lowe point which he was dead on about...Had he lowered his asking price when the Yanks were still interested, he would have gotten the 45 or whatever he wanted. Hes a selfish bum I dont mind players going for the money when its there, but its not there Derek, if I was the Mets I wouldnt go any higher until there was sign they had to and I dont see that happening.

Im going to go out on limb on this, I say Braves make a move this week, on Lowe. I say they get this done.

Boy, if Wren can't sign Lowe and thinks Garland is the alternative, then this team will truly suck in 2009.

I see no justification spending the money that Garland will command when there's a Braden Looper or a Randy Wolf out there who will give you better production for fewer years and less money.

Makes as much sense to send Morton and JoJo out there to take their lumps and mature.

At least the kids have upside. Signing Garland is hoisting the white flag.

Fenton, you should be banned from this site. You just compared Derek Lowe to Adam Eaton. He has a career ERA of 3.75 and WHIP of 1.268. Yes he's getting older, but he hasn't pitched fewer than 182 innings in a season in 7 consecutive seasons. I REALLY wish the Phils would pay up on this one. Yes, their payroll is going to be incredibly high, but they're in the 4th biggest payroll, just won the world series, and will most likely sell out 90% of their games this season. Hamels, Lowe, Myers, Moyer, Blanton? That's one hell of a rotation.

"Hamels, Lowe, Myers, Moyer, Blanton? That's one hell of a rotation."

Obviously I don't KNOW this information, but I would expect that the Phillies resigning Moyer will seriously impact their ability to make a quality bid for Lowe.

Giving Moyer 2/14 was really a dumb move in my opinion.

The guy is a fine pitcher, and that contract isn't really awful, but now it's not clear that the Phillies will have the cash to add Lowe.

Had they not resigned Moyer, they likely could've easily have signed Lowe at what his prospective price appears to be.

A rotation of Hamels, Lowe, Myers, Blanton and Happ is very, very good.

My other big issue with the Moyer signing is that this rotation may be in trouble after 2009.

Myers hits free agency, Moyer will be 47, and Blanton will be closing in on FA as well.

Adding Lowe would've given them another mainstay for the rotation with Hamels, and would've made it much easier to land pitching, rather than try to replace Myers next winter when the free agent market is far worse than this season.

Sure I'd like to see the Braves add another pitcher, but, again, $16 mil per season for 4 years is too much for Lowe. How bout 2/$30 mil? If not, see ya.
Like someone else mentioned, Looper's still an option as well as trades with S.F. & others. Wren's gonna have to get creative though.

Moyer won 15 games with a sub-4 ERA last year at 46. What makes everyone assume he's going to "break down" The guy only throws 80mph and still deals. 7 million is a bargain for a guy with those numbers, the Phils won't go after Lowe because of all of the Arb cases they're facing.

i only compare to singing a player and not want to get burned like we did with eaton....we still have to pay this clown 9 mill this year...trust me i hated adam eaton from day 1 and never understood the singinig...i would love to have lowe, this phils can at least bid to just raise the price for the mets, we may need to sign lowe this year and then use myers are trade bait at some point

before the braves sign someone like garland or trade for someone like Vicente Padilla i hope they inquire with the mariners about some of their young pitching.

Ryan Rowland Smith and Brandon Morrow specifically

what about ryan rowland smith?

Lowe is going to the Mets. This is almost as inevitable as K-Rod going to the Mets. The Phillies have already signed several players, so they're pretty much out. The Braves could be in it (although many reports do say that they don't like the price), but if it's a bidding war over a 35 year old pitcher, the Mets will win (I do hate signing these old players, but there are no good young durable pitchers for us to sign). I hope to god though, that Lowe stays healthy for us. It feels like every old player the Mets sign fall into their decline very fast (Pedro, Delgado (pray for a resurgence), Lo Duca, Alomar, and there's probably more but I'm too young to remember).

Omar Minaya is doing the right thing by starting the negotiations low - he wants Lowe to settle for 14-15 million a year.

I just wish the Mets would stop being soo cheap already.Letting Burrell sign w/ Rays 4 8 mil a yr.Now what the Mets need is a pitcher and a power hitting OF there are both of them in fa's LOWE AND MANNY. Sign them both cheapoooooooo.Then trade Church and Parnell to the Twins 4 D.YOUNG;
The Mets lineup would be;
Reyes
Beltran
Wright
Manny
Delgado
Young
Murphy
Catcher

Whoops Scribble Already let you in on that little secret

no plain and simple he wants 60 million for 4 yrs not the red sox you guys think everyone wants to play for you then why couldnt you sign Text ?

"everyone is knocking ibanez..what happens when he knocks in 140 this year.."

The same thing that is going to happen when Jose Reyes hits 38 HR's, steals 129 bases, bats .412, and throws 2 no hitters. Pigs will be flying, white guys will be stuffing on black dudes in the NBA, Danica Patrick will magically turn into a good race car driver, and the "nappy headed hoes" of the Rutgers womens basketball team will be featured on the cover of Victoria's Secret.

And by the way... the fact that Moyer throws 80 is relevant how in your statement that people who believe Moyer is only worth 2MM (which is indeed absurd) are "crack heads"?

Lowe said that to drag a big market team in, he just cares about money not where he pitches, if u don't see that already u never will