Derek Lowe Says Red Sox ‘Making a Statement,’ Preparing for Haul of Free Agents After Dodgers Trade

by abournenesn

Aug 26, 2012

Derek Lowe Says Red Sox 'Making a Statement,' Preparing for Haul of Free Agents After Dodgers TradeThe Boston sports scene has appeared to quiet down now that the Red Sox have completed their monstrous trade with the Dodgers.

But former Red Sox star and current Yankees reliever Derek Lowe knows that it's just the calm before the storm.

"Clearly, they're making a statement," Lowe told the New York Times on Saturday as news of the trade being finalized filtered to New York. "The fans are probably saying, now what are you going to do? You got rid of six guys [including previous trades]. They want answers. I'm sure [the Red Sox] have a plan. They are looking at the free agent market, singling out guys they want and probably going to go pretty hard to get them."

The Red Sox traded Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to the Dodgers for James Loney and four prospects Saturday, dealing both Gonzalez and Crawford less than two years into their high-paying, long-term contracts.

Lowe was among those speculating that the state of the Boston clubhouse may have had something to do with the two stars' early exit. He also pointed to the departure of pitching coach Bob McClure and players Kelly Shoppach and Kevin Youkilis, all of whom had been rumored to disagree with manager Bobby Valentine.

"Clearly, [the Dodgers] are making the statement that they want to win, and they are showing it financially," he said. "On the flip side, you look at it from Boston's standpoint — they just signed these guys a couple of years ago. I know as much as you guys, but maybe these guys were causing some headaches to completely change the course of your team.

"I don't know if [a trade like this has] ever happened. It's pretty drastic."

Lowe has a special place in Red Sox-Yankees history after helping fuel Boston's 2004 World Series run. Picked up by New York just a few weeks ago to pitch as a reliever, he's been a boost to the Yankees' bullpen as they try to hold off the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles for the American League East title.

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