According to CSNNE.com, Cora — now with the New York Mets — believes situations like the logjam the Red Sox face at third base tend to work themselves out. Having played with Adrian Beltre during his early years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and with Lowell while on the Red Sox, Cora believes that both of them will be amenable toward whatever plan Terry Francona and Theo Epstein choose to implement.
"We've talked, and everybody knows [Lowell's] situation. Everybody knows what's going on, and like any situation, things are going to take care of itself," Cora told CSNNE.com. "[Manager Terry Francona] is always good about that, you know. He'll let things go to help work out it and let [Lowell] do his thing, and we'll see what happens with him."
Lowell is expected to return to action next week after sitting out the first two weeks of spring training to recover from surgery on his thumb. The Red Sox will likely take it slow with the 36-year-old, and Lowell could see time at both infield corners in order to showcase his defensive versatility, particularly coming off a season during which his range was greatly diminished by an ailing hip.
Regardless of his position and uniform, Cora believes that Lowell will eventually earn regular playing time and be an asset to his team.
"Mikey has been around for a long time, and he can still hit the ball," Cora said to CSNNE.com. "You're also talking about a guy that still leads all third baseman in career fielding percentage. You can look that one up."
But Cora acknowledged that Lowell will face an uphill battle for playing time on the Red Sox, considering Beltre’s defensive prowess. He described the two-time Gold Glover as "a shortstop playing third," and the type of gamer that the Fenway faithful will come to appreciate.
"People are going to like him and how professional he is and the way he goes about his business," Cora said of Beltre on CSNNE.com. "I was with him on the Dodgers, and I really saw him grow up in the big leagues. He got to the big leagues just a month before I did, and he was just a kid. He's a man now, and he's somebody that's really going to lead by example. People will enjoy him."
Cora also believes that Beltre will improve the Red Sox clubhouse chemistry as a bilingual player who can serve as a "bridge" between the Americans and Latinos on the team’s roster. That's a role Lowell has filled during his time with the team, and an understated influence that catcher Victor Martinez brought to the pitching staff after he was acquired last summer.
"We always talk about clubhouse chemistry and things like that, and he's great for that," Cora said. "[The Red Sox] don't have any issues over there because they've got a great bunch of guys that police each other and understand the task at hand. Tito lets his team know what he expects out of them. But bilingual guys like [Beltre] and Mike Lowell, we call them a 'bridge', you know.
"Sometimes you might get those cliques whether it's the Latinos or the Americans, but Bellie is one of those guys that can be a bridge. He gets along with everybody. He doesn't isolate from anybody and he really gets involved. He'll be fine."
With Lowell set to make $12 million during the coming season and Beltre signed to a one-year, $9 million deal, the Red Sox currently have $21 million invested in two right-handed hitters who play the same position. That's why Epstein attempted to trade Lowell to the Texas Rangers for catcher Max Ramirez, before the trade was nixed due to his injured thumb.
The club's new plans for Lowell may hinge on his performance in the latter part of spring training, and his ability to handle multiple positions. If he proves that he could be a valuable component of the team's bench, then Epstein will likely keep Lowell in Boston. But if the Red Sox are able to save some money and gain a useful player in exchange, the trade rumors may swirl again.
Regardless, Cora is sure that Lowell will be amenable to the Red Sox plans.
"I think Mikey understands the business side of it and understands the game. I think everybody is going to be fine. Yeah, it looks like a bad situation or whatever. … But I think — at the end of the day — everything is going to be fine."
