“Ironically, both players are represented by the Levinsons.”

This is not irony, Rob. It’s a coincidence. Still … keep up the good work.

I don’t like this trade. I wish the Sox would give ML a chance to show them how he can perform, with his hip fully healed. His offensive numbers were great when he played last year, even hurt.

The Sox need offense that was clear in the debacle that was the 2009 Division Series. With that being the case why trade one of the few offensive bright spots from last year (.290/17/75 in only 119 games). Yes he can’t run and his range has been severely limited since the hip surgery. Last time I checked Big Papi was breaking any land speed records or power hitting records for that matter.
Don’t trade Lowell!! Keep Youk at first, where he is better defensively (GOLD Glove) and let Lowell split time at third with Lowerie and if Papi gets off to one of his less than mediocre starts Lowell gets at bats as DH.

Seriously bummed about this. Mikey Lowell is invaluable and will be missed.

I HATE this trade!! Once again, Theo’s putting his ego ahead of the Red Sox. Good luck with some wanna-be catcher/first baseman who’s barely been in the big leagues, Boston. You’re giving up a fantastic player who gave you discount in 2007!! If you think Ramirez is the answer for next season over Lowell, you’re absolutely dreaming, Theo!!

I am dissapointed and do not like this trade. I want the Red Sox to give Mike Lowell a chance to play fully healed. He wants to play for the Red Sox and his offense is pretty darn good. In addition, I still like his glove too.

The Red Sox defense as a team was not good in 2009. Their defensive efficiency was 3rd worst in MLB. I saw Mike Lowell play in Kansas City last September and he is not even close to being a shell of his former ability, he has deteriorated that much. We all love Mikey, but the Red Sox will not be very competitive with Mike at 3B in 2010.

Should Mike fail his physical and the deal implodes, the Red Sox still gain from this. They could then have a much better chance of putting him on the 60 day DL to start the 2010 season and keep him there all season with insurance paying 2/3ds of his salary.

Here’s the point. The Red Sox found out that players like Edgar Rent-a-wreck, Julio down-by-the- schoolyard Lugo and Eric “Eh” Gagne could not perform in the atmosphere known as Fenway Park aka “Beantown” – Letting position players such as Johnny Damon go, whom they know can play in Boston is a mistake. We all KNOW that Manny Ramirez wanted out of Boston, but Manny DID perform here. So it blows my mind when the Sox tend to UNDERVALUE those already on the team that can produce, such as Mike Lowell and Jason Bay. If they are going to eat $9M of Mike Lowell’s salary, why bother to trade him? You have your catcher of the future in Marc Wagner in the minors. You have Youkillis who can play 3rd. If I were the GM of the Sox, I would sign Bay, and MOVE JD Drew not Mike Lowell. Epstein has been wanting to trade Lowell for a while now, because he never consumated the trade for him. But JD Drew IS Epstein’s guy and thus the reason that we never hear about Drew being traded, (even given the fact that his $14M salary is now affordable in the major leagues today). I would dump Drew by trading him, sign both Bay and Holiday, and move Youk to 3rd, make Holiday a 1st baseman and platoon Lowell with Papi at DH and allow him to play 3rd from time to time, giving Youk a break and or moving him to 1st and giving Holiday a break. Look at this line up if that were to occur.

Ellsbury
Pedroia
Martinez
Ortiz
Holiday
Bay
Youkilis
Scutaro
Right Field to be named after Drew Trade.

Off the bench: Lowell, Varitek, etc.

That is a pretty good lineup, and given the fact that both Varitek, Ortiz, Drew, etc (and other contracts will be coming off the books in 2010, the – / + on salaries would even out and give the Sox a number pretty comparable to when Manny Ramirez was in the lineup.

Look the Sox have pretty much their players of the future signed: Youk, Peede, Lester, Bay, Holiday, Martinez, with this move. Scutaro is a stop gap for their SS of the future who is in the minors. Unless they ‘could’ work out a feasible trade to get Hanley Ramirez back, this is the way to go. By signing Bay and Holiday and trading Drew, and keeping Lowell, the Sox do NOT give up any future prospects, they will be able to compete NOW with the Yankees and in the future. DO NOT BE STUPID THEO, BE SMART……..

Bad trade from my perspective. What did we get in return? Nothing. What did we give up- 9 million plus a valuable member of the team. What I do not understand is why can t we get this right? This team is taking the form of a fantasy league team. Lastly, I would suggest a race between Mike Lowell and David Ortiz. The loser gets traded.

I am so ticked by this news! Yes, Lowell’s dealt with injuries– but so have other guys they’ve held on to for too long. Giving up a solid producing guy for an unproven minor league player does not make sense to me.

Crazy Talk! Lowell for a minor leaguer? Are you kidding? Seriously? Go get Beltre if you think you need him, but keep Lowell as part time DH, 3B or 1B. If you’re gonna pay most of the salary anyway, why not take advantage of his offensive production. Plus the fact that he will have better range this season as a natural result of time removed from major surgery. Leave Lowrie in the minors and use Lowell as your bench guy. Theo’s gotta get his head examined if he pulls the trigger on this one.

I would keep Lowell. Hes going to come back stronger, hes very good at the plate and in the clubhouse. Also, the more salaries the Sox eat over the years is going to prevent them from getting big ticket free agents ie. Tiexiera last year…

Lowell is a broken down has-been. Send him to Walter Reed hospital for repairs then trade his a$$.

Very bad move

I agree with Mike….Trade Drew (inconsistant, hurt) sign Bay & Holliday. Mike Lowell’s value in the clubhouse is very valuable and since we are paying him anyway let him DH, 1B and 3B. I would be more willing to DH Lowell and trade Pappi…..Pappi reminds me of Mo Vaugh….same body style same similar results in declining bat speed. Pappi didn’t have a clue at the plate for much of last year. Mike Lowell always gives good at bats, solid D and get team-mate. Like having another coach in the clubhouse/

Take it. You can tell by the the Scutaro deal that Theo doesn’t want to move into ’10 with any sort of positional uncertainty. He probably had a hunch that short was going to be a platoon effort last year. Clearly that fact cost the team.

This will at least keep us from having to play defensive musical chairs with the third, first, catcher positions.

The front office wouldn’t be making this move unless they were certain they could pull the trigger on a deal for Beltre or DeRosa.

I can’t believe they traded one of the best hitters on the team. It is time to retire Papi and give Mikey the spot at DH. What is going on with the decision making in corporate Sox…..BAD DECISION for us loyal and true Red Sox fans. I want Mike back.

Is Theo going through a mid lige crisis or what????? Mr Henry would you please rein him in!! Give Mike a chance to show what he can do with a fully healed hip. Theos shown the huge mistakes he’s made by some of his “big” signings. I don’t have to list them he knows the bombs and eggs he’s laid. Tie his hands now before he screws the tam up again like he did last year!

Can you say Wily Mo Pena. Keep a known commodity in Lowell! He has 1 more year left and put up decent offensive numbers when healthy last year.

Lowell for a third string catcher? Unless Theo has something up his sleeve that’ll be done in days, I just can’t see this. If he can’t get Beltre, who I’m not thrilled with, then what? Theo is really costing this club BIG bucks. I don’t think he’s what everybody thinks he is.

Interesting article until the last sentence. PLEASE!!! NOT MILTON @#$&^% BRADLEY!!!

Is there any chance we can get THEO to just “skip” the winter meetings next year….a FULL Hibernation may be better than a partial hibernation…

You are joking? What a horrible mistake. Why would you do this Theo?

THIS IS SERIOUSLY DEPRESSING FOR THE SOX….MIKE LOWELL IS TOO VALUABLE TO TRADE-HE HAS BEEN SOLID EVEN WITH HIS PHYSICAL ISSUES & HE DESERVES ANOTHER YEAR TO PROVE IT!!

Another mistake, Theo. Time for you to go.

R u freakin kidding me, Lowell had darn good stats when he was allowed to play every other day by Francona, who sat him every other day for a .219 hitter!! DUH!!! Now they want to trade him for a minor leaguer, and the yankees get an all-star for 2 bags of donuts. I dont no wat Theo has been doing lately, but it seems every time there is a trade other teams give up nothing and he gives up the farm. I say trade Drew and Epstein to the Evil Empire for Cashman and we wont here from the Yankees again.

I don’t like this trade. But Theo is not dumb so this must be a precursor to another bigger move. I just think why not pull the trigger on this move AFTER the bigger move. By trading Mikey away first that just gives Boras more leverage to extort more money for an Adrian Beltre.

As many have stated Lowell’s defense is bound to improve with his recoverey from surgery. And his offense is going to be tough to replace.

Why give up a cluch time at this time – try designated hitter

I love Lowell. But if they can trade him, sign Holliday to play 1st, move youk to 3rd I think that would be good. All this talk with Beltre, I don’t like so much. He is an OK 3rd baseman. I think signing Holliday would give them that HUGE bat while keeping Youk and Drew in the line up.

At one time I thought…Theo’s good deals vs bad deals…75% to 25%…then it went to 50%-50%…now its trending 40%-60%.

O ya, and resign Bay. I think with an addition of Holliday to the line up the Red Sox offense is perfect.

I love Lowell, I’d keep him if there are no better options, but replacing him with Beltre is a no-brainer. The Sox need somebody reliable at 3rd. Lowell and Beltra have comparable career numbers, but Beltre is five years younger and has some speed. They’re both Gold Glovers, but Lowell can’t play third anymore. He’ll be 36 when the season starts, he’ll never completely recover from the surgery, and he clearly is on the downside of his career. He’s averaged 115 games over the last two years; at his age and with the hip injury, you can’t expect him to suddenly be a 150-game guy again. The idea of signing Beltre and keeping Lowell to platoon with Ortiz at DH is absurd; if neither of them performs in 2010, then you’ve got two mid-season headaches to deal with. Better to stabilize 3rd (and, by extension, 1st) and leave only Ortiz to worry about.

We all like Mike Lowell, but Adrian Beltre would make this team much better. His defense is off the charts good and hes got some pop. Lowell is over the hill. Painful to watch doing anything athletic (running/jumping/diving).

Another “Bonehead” trade by Theo! He should have let Mike play out his last year…he is now 1 year out of surgery. Last year, despite being fresh out of surgery he still was one of the best hitters on the team! We can still use him at third and DH. What are you saving–3 million to trade him away?? You should have dealt Papi or just cut him because Mike can field and hit. I could be a better GM than Theo at this point, in fact, I will go a step further…I put him in the same category as Dan Duquette now.

Lowell can not field 3rd anymore. We would have 2 DHs, Kotchman, Youk, Lowell at first all of which is ridiculous.

I don’t want Beltre to replace Mikey Lowell. So, unless Theo has a deal set up where he is going to obtain A. Gonzo from the Padres and put him at first and Youk at third, this whole deal SUCKS!! Mikey wasn’t healthy at any point last year and he still put up decent #s. You want to deal somebody because they aren’t healthy and cost too much, look at JD Drew. Of course you overpaid for Drew so nobody is going to take that stinking contract. C’mon Theo you better have a big name slugger ready to come on board and I don’t mean Beltre or that head case Milton Bradley—-you have got to be kidding me that Milton Bradley is even a consideration.

Even to think of a trade like this is total madness. ML is a valuable member of the Sox, both on and off the field. They’re willing to eat $9mil of his salary, but not put up the $$ to sign a pure impact player like Halliday??? I don’t know what Theo is thinking, but they haven’t really made many good trades lately… maybe his usefullness has run its course. 2010 is not looking good. Keep Lowell, trade Drew, sign Bay and Doc and give us some hope.

Theo must have the swine flu, he’s not thinking too clearly.

milton bradley might as well bring back carl everett.

Why can’t we put Mikey as co-DH with Ortiz (he’s not all that he was before either) – giving them both a break but keeping their talents in house. Mikey is a Red Sox and should retire as such. There should be some value in commitment to an organization, fan loyalty and willingness to be flexible in the line-up. Theo – don’t do it!!!!!!

This is a terrible deal. If you want to unload salary, do that with Ortiz. Lowell is at this point a far better hitter and can play in the field. Ortiz production has tailed badly the last two years and simply shedding a few pounds won’t improve his batting average at this point.

theo tries trading lowell every year. if he really knew talent then he would be trading papi or drew instead. they both make more money than lowell and did not produce last year. trading a player of his caliber and paying most of his salary is just ludicrous. the sox charging more than the yankees for a ticket is ridiculus especially when you look at the yankees payroll and you look at ours. sox need to keep lowell and re-sign bay. what theo needs to get is a really good pitcher. pitching wins championships!!!

Why did Theo re-sign Mike Lowell in ’07? His actions since then clearly show he doesn’t think ML is very valuable. Lowell takes a ‘hometown’ discount then gets screwed over 2 seasons in a row. I hope Mikey knows how the fans feel about him despite management’s shabby treatment. The Red Sox were lucky to have a class act like Mike Lowell in their organization and whatever team he goes to will be lucky to have him.

Maybe Theo will make an appearance this weekend duringt “Christmas at Fenway” – wearing a Grinch costume.

Still think Mike can put up decent numbers playing 3rd and sometimes DH if Papi doesn’t come back to form. If next year is to be what the owners are calling a bridge year, then Mike belongs as part of the bridge crew.

Perhaps I’m partially blinded by his class and work ethic… but I look forward to Lowell’s completed rehabilitation resulting in improved range and another typically clutch year at the plate. Seriously, his recovery from the hip surgery was never going to be complete until 12-18 months after the surgery, and he is headed for another ’07 performance. imho.
ah, to hell with it… what’s the point in trading the guy if you get nothing in return and still have to pay his salary?

this just sucks.

the only acceptable conclusion is Miguel Cabrera, but he’s scary.

I don’t see the logic in moving Youk,Youka gold glove FIRST BAseman or trading Papi(who’s going to trade anything good for him??) also drew is injury prone but above average right fielder and hitter.I love mikie too,but the rest of the input about PApi,Theo,youk and bay escapes me.

Ramirez is a highly regarded catching prospect, which are very hard to come by in baseball. Interestingly, the blue jays want a catcher or catching prospect in a deal for Halladay. Right now the Yankees can offer Montero, while we’ve got nothing to spare. I think this deal makes a ton of sense. Lowell is gone after this year regardless so move him now. Sign Beltre. Develop Ramirez as backup for vmart after tek is gone or trade him in the package for Halladay. Get off Theo’s back.

The Sox should still go “ALL OUT” for Hanley Ramirez. I don’t care if they picked up some over the hill , never was or will be , Toronto SS . Maybe they can use the Toronto Bum and Lowell to get a really good 3rd baseman. Jason Bay is being talked about like he’s great… well he isn’t he’s a little better then good. Beltre sux on offense and thats what we NEED , so say NO to him. I wouldn’t go for ANY PLAYER REPRESENTED BY SCOTT BORIS !!! Boris is ruining the game. I hate to say it but when he passes on , it’ll be a great day for Baseball and it’s fans.

We need ….
#1: Hanley Ramirez
#2: Ben Sheets
We Don’t Need…..
#1: The toronto ss we just picked up
#3: Adrian Beltre
#4: Jason Bay (unless theo can’t pick up some1 better)
#5: And the biggest bust in MLB history …. J.D. Drew.
At least Dice-K had two good seasons.

This team NEEDS a total transformation. I’d LOVE to see them pick up Kevin Millar , just to give this team some personality. What a bunch of stiffs. Papi is 1 of my ALL TIME GREATS,but he’s all done w/out the juice so he should retire. TRADE…Papi,Beckett,Drew,Buckholtz,Lowell,and some other guys I can’t think of right now. And , PICK UP….HANLEY RAMIREZ,Pedro (for set-up&personality w/Millar 4 that too ),Brian Giles,Matt Holliday,Roy Halliday, Matsui(DH)and a few others. Come on Theo , If I can figure it out..then so can you !

I can not believe this here we go again stupid stupid moves give up on Mike for a minor who has not proved his worth as Mike has. Get rid of Theo

Mike Lowell is an outstanding player and human being. We would be poorer for his trade in every aspect of the game in my opinion. He deserves a lot more respect and faith from Theo than he is getting.

lowell has played in less than 120 games the past 2 seasons and has lost his range at third. I hope we do sign beltre, hes a MUCH better defender and for everyone knocking his hitting check out his home and away splits, safeco is horrid for right handed power hitters. His avg. and obp. are 30 points higher on the road and hed be coming to fenway which is great for guys who hit for power to left field cause of the monster.

Look at how the Yankees have built their success: by keeping valuable members. Their big players are getting OLD, yet it’s their cohesiveness (aside from their obvious talent) that gets the job done. This rotating-door approach bodes ill. Whatever happened to team unity?

I’ve said it before…I thought in the past that management knew what they were doing, but I have lost a lot of confidence in them. This trade really bothers me. If it goes through, we’ll see if Theo knew what he was doing. I hope so, but I still won’t be happy about losing Mike Lowell. Not now, not ever. Never.

Theo has gone completly NUTS I rest my case.If Big Papa gets a second chance,Mike lowell surely does also. Theo remember World Series [MVP} was who[MIKE LOWELL] WHO WHO WHO DUH

Don’t get me wrong… I love Mike Lowell and everything he brought to the team, but it’s hard to say how this is all going to pan out. People get attached to players, I get that, but part of the point of the offseason is to try and put together a team that can win. Sometimes that takes multiple moves. If moving Lowell is part of something bigger, than we can’t judge until it all pans out. I mean some people are freaking out cause the Theo didn’t sign a big name this week. It’s early December… there’s a lot more time before the offseason is over. And saying certain players are washed up because of batting average and how many HR’s they hit is really a poor way of judging them. Look JD gets injured, we know this, but when he’s healthy, there are very few RF’s better than him. Just cause he’s not crushing every at bat doesn’t mean he’s not worth what he makes… in fact based on his stats, he was worth far more than he made the past couple of years… I can’t say a move is good or bad until we see next season… just sayin’…

Mike thats gotta be the stuidest thing i have ever heard! Holiday and bay and keep lowell the red sox arent the yankees!Too much $$$$! and why in the hell would holiday move to first. just stop talking with your stupid ideas and keep em to yourself. same with darkman too.

I know that it’s only December, but the more I see and hear what Theo and his staff have been doing the more I question if they really know how to evaluate talent and whether they actually have a vision, a plan or a direction that could lead them to another championship season. Hey, Theo didn’t make the deal for Beckett and Lowell, Luchinno did, so he has no loyalty to those players, but he does to J.D. Drew who he signed for obscene money and believes that he’s the best thing since sliced bread. Not only has he made some bonehead deals…look at the revolving door at shortstop…and the Gagne and Clement deals, but don’t forget the deals that he didn’t make. Does anyone remember Carlos Pena? Why can’t the Red Sox get a power hitter like that???…Oh wait, they did have him…but Theo and his staff didn’t think he could play on the big stage, even though he tore the cover off the ball in the Red Sox organization They never offered that Haverhill kid a cup of coffee and they let him walk away. Can you say Tamp Bay slugger? He didn’t bring back Johnny Damon, Derek Lowe or Orlando Cabrera; all are very good ball players…and what was the deal about trading LaRoche, who they had for a week and was hitting the left field wall, for Kotchman? Didn’t LaRoche start tearing it up for Atlanta after the trade? Hello…
You can’t just look at past stats. Some players may be on a decline, some may be coming into their own, and some may be recovering from injury. What do your eyeballs tell you and what do you know about the heart of a ballplayer? (See Mike Lowell) Why is it that fans can see what their eyes tell them but Theo and his staff can’t? Are RBI’s really over rated???….Are you kidding me? Hey, I would like to be kind, but the GM’s decisions affect Red Sox Nation, especially if we are paying more at the ballpark. If he should don his gorilla suit, again, (very mature move) it wouldn’t bother me a bit.
Let Luchinno make the deals. Luchinno knows some baseball and I trust his judgment a lot more than I do the current GM. It’s no secret; I’m no longer in the camp of ‘In Theo We Trust’.
I know that he made some deals that helped the Sox win in ’04; some of it by accident, (No one thought David Ortiz would be that good, he was supposed to be a bench player; Dan Duquette had previously signed Manny Ramirez and Luchinno had set up the Thanksgiving meeting with Curt Schilling). It was also Luchinno and his staff that pulled the deal that helped them win in ’07 with the acquisition of Beckett and Lowell. I just don’t understand the direction the Red Sox have been going. I’ve been a Red Sox fan a lot longer than the current GM’s been alive and have seen a lot more baseball…I just hope that 2,010 is not a bust. Mr. Henry should take a closer look at what his GM has been bringing to the table, how he evaluates players and how he spends his money. Let’s hope I’m wrong…otherwise it’ll be a long season for those of us who are part of Red Sox Nation.

I don’t like this trade AT all

Lt Col Podovsky, that comment you made was absolutely stupid…MUST BE ARMY.

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