Red Sox Willing To Pay Half Of Lowell’s Salary

The Red Sox are shopping third baseman Mike Lowell and are willing to eat half of his $12MM salary for next season, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  However, a rival executive says that he would be surprised if another club would even be willing to pay Lowell $6MM.

The 35-year-old has played less than 120 games in each of the last two seasons.  While he remains productive offensively, Rosenthal and Morosi point out that he posted a .932 OPS in Fenway Park while batting for a .713 OPS on the road.  However, it should be noted that Lowell's production hasn't followed this pattern every year in Boston.  While he hit much better at home than on the road in 2007 and 2009, his away numbers were actually stronger in 2006 and 2008.

Theo Epstein has to move Lowell and shift Kevin Youkilis to third if he acquires Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres.  Boston could also move Lowell to create an opening for free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre.

Who should be calling the BoSox about Lowell?  How much of his $12MM salary would you make the Red Sox pay?  Let's hear your thoughts in the comments.