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Mike Lowell

Rockies Not Interested In Mike Lowell

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The Rockies are looking for a righthanded hitter that can handle first and third bases, though they're not interested in Mike Lowell according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com. Colorado can't afford to pay a part-time player $12MM, and a major league source says the team wouldn't be interested even if the Red Sox ate half of Lowell's salary.

Rosenthal and Morosi add that the Rockies haven't ruled out bringing Jason Giambi back, though he doesn't offer versatility or a righty stick.

Red Sox Willing To Pay Half Of Lowell’s Salary

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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.

Red Sox Express Interest In Four Boras Clients

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The Red Sox have expressed interest in four players – all Scott Boras clients – early in the hot stove season, according to Mike Silverman of The Boston Herald. Those four players would be Matt Holliday, Adrian Beltre, Mike Gonzalez, and Rick Ankiel.

Silverman notes that the Sox consider Holliday and alternative to Jason Bay, should they fail to re-sign him. Gonzalez could replace Billy Wagner, although Ankiel is somewhat redundant after the team acquired Jeremy Hermida earlier this month. Beltre could replace Mike Lowell at third, who Silverman says may "wind up being traded if the Red Sox go out and find a big-slugging first baseman," mentioning Adrian Gonzalez.

Heyman’s Latest: Holliday, Lackey, Bay, Trades

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Jon Heyman has a new column up at SI.com, so let's dive on in…

  • Scott Boras said on Sunday that the Cardinals have not made any proposals in an effort to retain Matt Holliday, and Heyman says "the chances for Holliday to remain a Cardinal look slim at this point."
  • A source familiar with the situation said the Angels offered John Lackey an extension earlier this year worth less than $40MM over three years on top of 2009's $10MM salary, so if they wish to re-sign him now, they'll have to completely rethink their original stance.
  • The Red Sox are trying to bring Jason Bay back on a four year, $60MM deal, though his agent maintains that Bay is the "most complete player on the market."
  • The Mets, Giants, Braves, Cubs, Mariners, and Yankees could also be interested in Holliday and/or Bay.
  • The Mets are believed to have Holliday higher on their wish list than Bay, and are also expected to pursue Randy Wolf.
  • There is speculation that Lackey would like to pitch at home in Texas, but the Rangers' interest might depend on how quickly their sale is resolved.
  • Heyman says that "MLB has set a tentative Thanksgiving deadline for the sale of the Rangers, but the price tag is expected to be in the $500 million range, and in cases of such big money there are no guarantees that things will go quickly."
  • Roy Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Bobby Jenks, Dan Uggla, and Milton Bradley should highlight a star studded trade market.
  • Halladay seems like a good bet to be moved, while the Red Sox and Dodgers represent possible suitors for Gonzalez.
  • Tampa has a replacement for Crawford in top prospect Desmond Jennings, while Jenks and Uggla would be moved in cost cutting deals.
  • Teams will certainly inquire on the availability of Felix Hernandez, but Heyman says the team plans to spend the winter trying to lock him up long-term. At the GM Meetings today, GM Jack Zduriencik said "Felix is our property. We're going to have him the next two years."
  • The Yankees have started to think about re-signing both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
  • Both the Brewers and Mariners are expected to have interest in Jarrod Washburn.
  • If the Angels don't re-sign Chone Figgins, they are expected to pursue Adrian Beltre to fill their third base hole.
  • The Rangers will let Hank Blalock walk as a free agent, and are expected to promote top prospect Justin Smoak next year.
  • Orlando Hudson is expected to leave the Dodgers as a free agent, though Heyman says they could re-sign Ronnie Belliard to compete with Blake DeWitt at second base.
  • Team officials would not be shocked if the Red Sox tried to move David Ortiz and/or Mike Lowell, though it's going to be tough to move them with all the DH-types available on the free agent market.

Heyman On Damon, Scutaro, Red Sox

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • The Yankees are interested in re-signing Johnny Damon, and may be willing to offer two years and $16MM.  Heyman believes the White Sox and Giants will be among the other suitors.
  • Heyman says the Reds "could do worse" than Marco Scutaro at shortstop.  The Reds first-round pick (#12 overall would be protected), but they probably don't have the payroll space to add Scutaro unless they subtract a big salary.
  • The Red Sox could look to trade Mike Lowell or David Ortiz, if they acquire two hitters this winter.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Deadline, Rios, Yanks

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On this date two years ago, the Yankees and Padres failed to reach an agreement on a trade for Kei Igawa after San Diego claimed the pitcher on waivers. The Yankees also chose not to let Igawa go to the Padres for just the waiver claim. Since then Igawa has made two starts for the Yankees and has spent the entire '09 season in Triple-A. With several teams active in the waiver market this season, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • Around the Majors takes a look at how the deadline deals have worked so far.
  • The Blue Jay Hunter looks at what the Alex Rios move could mean for the Jays moving forward.
  • The Sports Bank gives 11 reasons why Alex Rios was a good pick up for the White Sox.
  • A Game Of Inches argues that the White Sox would have been better off acquiring a minor league center fielder.
  • UmpBump makes the case that the Alex Rios move was good for both sides.
  • Josh's Thoughts takes a look at what the acquisition of Alex Rios by the White Sox means for the Twins and the rest of the AL Central.
  • The Pinstriper imagines what the Yankees roster would look like today had they signed Mike Lowell in '07.
  • Jorge Says No! says the Jays still need to move Vernon Wells if they ever want to move forward.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Irabu, Draft

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Some links to start the morning off…

  • Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if the Red Sox would pull back John Smoltz and Mike Lowell if either veteran was claimed on waivers.
  • Hideki Irabu is closing in on a deal with an independent Japanese team, according to CBS Sports.
  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo points out that there are usually a lot of unsigned draft picks this time of year. He also has a league-wide update on those who have yet to sign this season.
  • If you heard that someone determined the return on investment of top draft picks, you'd probably think it was someone in a front office. But, as Mayo reports, Pirates pitcher Ross Ohlendorf did just that as a student at Princeton.  
  • Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the O's haven't made progress with second rounder Mychal Givens.
  • New acquisition Jarrod Washburn told David Mayo of MLive.com that he "felt like a rookie" in his Tigers debut last night. Washburn lost to Brian Matusz, a real-life rookie who won his MLB debut.
  • Like the early 90s Braves, the Padres are building around young arms, according to Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

Odds & Ends: Sano, Marlins, Beattie, Mariners, Reds

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Saturday night (link) fever…

  • Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com reports that Orioles director of international scouting John Stockstill met with representatives for Miguel Angel Sano in recent days. "We certainly expressed an interest in him becoming a Baltimore Oriole," Stockstill said.
  • After speaking with president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest, Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald says that the Marlins are definitely not sellers as the trade deadline approaches.
  • Former O's GM Jim Beattie was on 96.3 The Big Jab in Portland, ME earlier today, and told a story about a deal that would have sent A.J. Burnett and Mike Lowell to Baltimore at the 2005 trade deadline had it not been shot down by owner Peter Angelos.
  • MLBTR's own Ben Nicholson-Smith was on the same station earlier today talking trade deadline. Give it a listen.
  • Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times says that if the Mariners get a really good offer for Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, or Russell Branyan, they should take it considering the team's recent swoon.
  • Tyler Hissey at Around The Majors wrote about some of the Reds' deadline options.
  • With the deadline now less than a week away, make sure you follow MLBTR on Twitter to get your updates even faster.

Odds And Ends: Lowell, Girardi, Pirates

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Some links to read through this morning…

Olney On Pirates, Marlins, Escobar

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney says yesterday's Pirates-Yankees trade proves we're looking at a buyer's market this year. The Pirates had to include $400k to shed part of Eric Hinske's salary, and they won't be the only ones including salary relief in trades. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:

  • The suitors for players like Nick Johnson and Josh Willingham may start disappearing if the few teams who can take on salary decide to look elsewhere for help.
  • Olney says the Pirates acquired potential success in Lastings Milledge.
  • The Marlins are still looking aggressively for relievers.  
  • Now that Mike Lowell's out, the Red Sox and Rockies seem to match up well for a possible deal that would send Garrett Atkins to Boston for a reliever. 
  • The Braves are willing to trade Yunel Escobar for a good hitter. 
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