The Red Sox have announced that they are interested in trading Mike Lowell and that they are willing to pay half his $12M salary for 2010 to sweeten the deal.
Even at $6M, Lowell (36 in Feb. 2010) is probably too pricey for many teams, but there are a few organizations that could use a 3B that can still hit .275+ and drive in 70+ runs.
Philadelphia Phillies
Pedro Feliz has been a solid third baseman for the Phillies over the past two seasons, but the Phils did not pick up his $5.75 option for 2010 and are currently shopping for a replacement. Lowell offers a better bat than Feliz and his .251 career BA and can still play solid defense despite what Fangraphs and their UZR numbers will tell you. Lowell is older than Adrian Beltre, but cheaper than Chone Figgins will be and with Greg Dobbs as the back-up and Mike Cervenak in AAA - trading for Lowell seems to make sense.
The Phillies covet pitching prospect Kyle Kendrick as much as Theo covets Buchholz, so don't expect Kendrick to be part of the trade. The Sox could ask for J.A. Happ, and give themselves some protection should they trade Buchholz for a bat. They could also look at prospects like OF John Mayberry, 23-year old Carlos Monasterios (who is currently lighting up the AFL) or starter Drew Carpenter.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Chone Figgins has been the face of the "small-ball" Angels since 2005, but he is currently testing the Free Agent market and the Angles may not have enough cash to keep him in LA. The Angels are already at the $100M mark for 2010 and they need to try and retain or replace Lackey, Figgins and Guerrero. Figgins is looking for around $10M per year, so Lowell at $6M would be a bargain.
The Halos don't have as many trade chips as the Phillies do, but they do have two young third baseman waiting in the wings. Brandon Wood and Freddy Sandoval played well in AAA this past season so the Angels could trade one of them to the Sox (Wood can also play SS...) and still have the other ready to replace Lowell in 2011. This would also give the Sox some insurance in case a deal for A-gon cannot be made and Youk needs to stay at 1B.
Seattle Mariners
Adrian Beltre is a Free Agent and after a disappointing 2009 campaign, the Mariners aren't likely to bring him back for the $10-12M he made over the life of his last contract. That said, Beltre (31 in April 2010) might be willing to take a pay cut to stay in Seattle, but trading for Lowell at $6M and 1 year might be the smarter play for M's.
Rookie Chris Shelton has a solid 2009 season at Triple A and could take over at third in 2011, if Lowell moves on. Or the Mariners could hope that Alex Liddi's 23 HR, 103 RBI, .345 BA, 1.005 OPS line from his season with the High A Mavericks means he's capable of playing in the bigs in 2011...
Here's what I would love to see... Include Mike Lowell in a package for Felix Hernandez. Moving Lowell implies that the Sox are hoping to land A-Gon or Cabrera, but if they used their prospects and Lowell to get King Felix instead, they could always sign a short term deal with a FA third baseman or use Jed Lowrie at 3B until Lars Anderson is ready.
Lowell had a decent second half in 2009 once the hip loosened up and I think he could have a solid 2010 season for the Sox, but trading him now versus getting nothing for him next season is worth perusing.
Obviously there are a lot of ifs with all of these scenarios, especially with Seattle, but the Sox do have some options here. What do you guys think - you like any of these potential deals?
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