With Lowell battling injuries all season, the Red Sox went after both Victor Martinez and Casey Kotchman last summer to fill out their infield. Then, in November, rumors were flying everywhere about Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Gonzalez. Then last month, the Sox tried to get rid of Lowell outright, offering him up to Texas for a prospect and agreeing to pay most of his salary.
But now, Lowell's really in trouble.
The apparent acquisition this week of Adrian Beltre could render Lowell obsolete as a member of the Red Sox.
We all knew this was coming. Lowell turns 36 next spring, and he's running out of time in Boston. Theo Epstein is reworking his ballclub — getting younger, healthier, better defensively. Lowell didn't seem to be part of that plan. And why would he be?
Lowell's been hampered by hip problems for the better part of the last year. He's aging, he's lost a step or two and the Red Sox were actively looking for a replacement. In Beltre, they now have one — he's younger, quicker and more adept defensively. While the Sox go through a falling-out with their aging star, they gain a two-time Gold Glover in the process.
This is part of Theo's master plan. Beltre, Mike Cameron, Marco Scutaro — they're building a well-oiled defensive machine. That makes Lowell the odd man out.
And offensively, the Sox might not lose much. It's hard to say with Beltre, who had an injury-plagued season of his own in 2009 and hit just eight round-trippers. But his home run totals from his previous four years in Seattle — 19, 25, 26 and 25 — tell the story. He's a consistent power threat that should slide right into the middle of the Boston order.
Scott Boras landed Beltre a whopper of a long-term contract last time he hit the free-agent market. After a monster contract year in Los Angeles in 2004, Beltre cashed in in a big way, going to Seattle for $63 million over five years. After the first year of that deal, when he hit .255 and his power slipped, skeptics started to label him a bust.
But Beltre bounced back. After three solid seasons in Seattle, he re-earned his street cred — and he's now a proven third baseman in the American League.
The Red Sox roster isn't deep enough for the both of them. Lowell's too expensive to be a platoon man at third, first or even designated hitter, where David Ortiz makes $12.5 million.
It only makes sense that Lowell's got to go. The only question is where.
The initial rumor was Queens — where, interestingly enough, he'd be rejoining recently departed Red Sox teammate Jason Bay. The move makes sense from the Mets' vantage point — they've got the cash to spend, and they could use another big bat in their lineup. Lowell has been an NL East killer in the past, and he could continue that in New York.
But what about the Red Sox? The Mets don't seem to have any trade chips to pique Boston's interest. The one name being floated out there is Luis Castillo, who's of little to no use to the Red Sox. He plays second base and second only, and Dustin Pedroia isn't going anywhere.
It doesn't look like the Red Sox have everything figured out yet.
So far, the Sox don't have a plan figured out to ship Lowell out of town. The only scenarios we're seeing are pure salary dumps — and surely Theo can do better than that for a four-time All-Star who's still got some juice left.
The truth is that Lowell will probably be packing his bags. He's too expensive and too redundant to stick around Boston for long. But where he'll end up, no one knows.
Mike Lowell will be missed. Once we find out where he's headed, that is.
