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Sox, Lowell Appear To Be Close To Impasse
By Administrator | November 12, 2007
As I have reported previously, Mike Lowell told friends of mine back in July that he would have given the Red Sox a hometown discount if they had signed him to a contract extension last spring… he said that when Theo Epstein insisted on waiting until the end of the season to see ‘how things played out’, the team lost out on its chance to take advantage of the hometown discount.
The season played out to Lowell’s advantage for a number of reasons — Lowell’s ability, the ballpark, the team and its lineup — and, as a result, Lowell is in a position to cash in. No disrespect intended, but this may be his last / best chance to cash in on a big contract… he is getting older and coming off a career year (in many respects). The Sox want to limit their exposure should his skills decline and thus started with a two-year proposal… Lowell wants to see how much money is available in free agency and believes he can get four years and $56 MM.
There are many reasons for him to want to stay in Boston — the ballpark, a competitive team, his teammates and a potent lineup. Many pundits have been asserting / hoping that those reasons might be sufficient to get Lowell to sign a deal if the Sox included a third year (guaranteed) in their offer. I am one of those who have been hoping that would be the case — hoping so hard that I started to believe he might sign with the Sox — but all the while knowing, based on his comments to my friends, that ‘Iron Mike’ is almost certainly going to take the best deal available.
I feel foolish. I let myself believe that Lowell wanted to stay in Boston… I WANTED to believe that he wanted to stay here. I WANTED to believe that the 2007 Red Sox were something special and that the players would want to remain a part of it.
But Theo wanted to see how things played out… so now, the only advantage the Sox may have is the ‘all things being equal’ contingency. [Not that I blame Theo... I think he made the right decision at the time]
Schilling or Damon? Hey Red Sox Nation, it is apparent that Lowell is much closer to the long-haired idiot… and that he may very well join Damon in New York City. How appropos that would be — two aging, well-liked athletes head to the misery in Gotham in exchange for their souls (read: a fourth year). Hey, Mike, you had better call Johnny and ask him how that worked out for him…
As midnight approaches, it appears Lowell’s declaration that he wanted to stay in Boston was all talk… he should have said he wants the most money. Period. End of statement. Because, like so many players before him, that is what it appears it is coming down to…
Hey, he was true to his words… it’s just that it appears he was true to the ones he said to my friends, not the ones he said to the assembled media.
Nick Cafardo of the Globe is reporting that the sides might effort one more attempt to strike an accord before the clock strikes midnight… but if he doesn’t agree to a three-year deal tonight I say the Sox should head in another direction. The Sox need to be at 3 years and $40 - $42 MM… and if Lowell doesn’t agree to a deal on those terms then it appears he doesn’t really want to be in Boston. If that’s the case, I say let him go to New York and lose 50 points in batting average and half of his home runs to the cavern that is Yankee Stadium.
Mike can join the ranks of Roger and Mo and Petey and D-Lowe and J-D… or he can join the ranks of Curt. Notice how that last list is a LOT smaller? All the more reason to cherish someone who IS a man of his word and who isn’t just about ’showing him the money’.
I hope he stays. I hope this was all a negotiating ploy and that he really wants to be in Boston. But if he leaves, c’est la vie… life will go on. If he signs elsewhere, I’ll say “thanks for the last two years, Mike”… and “good luck”.
Unless he is in pinstripes… if he ends up with the Yankees, then I say to h-e-l-! with him — he gets what he deserves!
So, what’s it going to be Mike? Do you really intend to turn your back on what you had here? Are you another mercenary? Are you just another Rod Tidwell, or is there more to you than “showing you the money”? Actions talk… bullshit walks.
Put your money where your mouth is… or good luck.*
Topics: Sox Players |
