Derek Lowe

If Chien-Ming Wang’s injury does turn out to be season-ending, I wonder if the Yankees will try and make a run at picking up Derek Lowe in a trade?

Lowe will be a free agent at the end of the season - so, there’s some incentive for the Dodgers to shop him. Plus, the Dodgers are 31-38 right now and appear to be going nowhere this year.

Lowe is durable - he never misses a start, and, if I recall correctly, he’s never been on the disabled list. He’s played in Boston and L.A. - so, he’s not going to melt in New York with all the media coverage here.

And, since 2002, you can make a case that Lowe’s been one of the top twenty starters in big leagues. Stats via the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia:

Pitcher		RSAA	GS	IP	ERA
Johan Santana	216	180	1273.2	2.92
Roy Halladay	194	187	1333	3.25
Brandon Webb	191	177	1184.2	3.18
Roy Oswalt	167	203	1360.2	3.23
Carlos Zambrano	165	194	1285.1	3.30
Tim Hudson	160	208	1399.2	3.41
Pedro Martinez	154	154	995	3.10
Curt Schilling	131	157	1102.1	3.63
Roger Clemens	129	163	1029.2	3.23
Randy Johnson	125	177	1175	3.53
Mark Buehrle	117	213	1445	3.91
Andy Pettitte	95	186	1165.1	3.70
Jason Schmidt	93	157	1029	3.43
Barry Zito	91	220	1392	3.87
C.C. Sabathia	91	200	1317.1	3.78
John Lackey	87	188	1205.2	3.75
Derek Lowe	87	214	1336.2	3.89
Ben Sheets	86	178	1167.2	3.62
Jake Peavy	84	182	1152	3.27
Kenny Rogers	77	187	1161.1	4.15

What would it take to get Lowe from the Dodgers? Well, hopefully Joe Torre is high on Ian Kennedy. If so, that would be a great starting point for any discussion. Maybe Cashman can even play up to “Kennedy was big at U.S.C.” angle on this one? If L.A. wants another starter, how about throwing in Kei Igawa? I doubt that Torre wants him. But, hey, it doesn’t hurt to ask. Shoot, throw in La Troy Hawkins while you’re at it.

But, in addition to Kennedy, the Dodgers are going to want someone else as well. Torre would probably love to get Robinson Cano - with Jeff Kent being 40-years old and at the end of the line. However, there’s no way that Cashman would trade Kennedy and Cano for three months of Lowe.

If the Dodgers want a second baseman for the future, maybe they would have an interest in Kevin Russo? Perhaps New York could also sweeten the pot by “throwing in” a pitching prospect like George Kontos?

How is this for a deal? Ian Kennedy, George Kontos, Kevin Russo and either Kei Igawa or La Troy Hawkins for Derek Lowe. Personally, I think that’s a fair offer - there’s no way that L.A. would see that as an insult. And, if Wang is done for the season, it’s a trade that the Yankees can afford to make - in terms of what they’re giving up and what’s left in their system.

And, it’s probably a lot cheaper than what it might take to get C.C. Sabathia in a trade (with the Indians).

June 16, 2008 | Filed Under Trap Door Items

Comments

10 Responses to “Derek Lowe”

TurnTwo on June 16th, 2008 9:00 am

i just dont think Derek Lowe is worth it. I’d be more in line with your Aaron Cook idea than Derek Lowe. Only prob is that Colorado has already said Cook isnt available.

i’d rather see Cashman grow some stones and make a trade for a real front of the rotation guy, or just dont make a move at all.
OnceIWasAYankeeFan on June 16th, 2008 9:28 am

I think Lowe is actually an excellent trade target. Heck, the pitching styles are similar too. Not only is Lowe experienced in AL East combat, he’s actually been quoted this year as saying he’d like to go back to it. And he won’t cost what Sabathia would. Not sure where he stands in the rankings for prospective free agents, but if the cost isn’t that high, it wouldn’t matter if he ends up a “B” instead of an “A”.

About the only drawback I can see is that Lowe and Giambi and probably Damon might spend too much time at Scores.
hopbitters on June 16th, 2008 10:55 am

Cook’s younger, but that’s about it. Lowe had some excellent seasons in Boston and other than a rough year in 2004, he’s been consistently above league average and at or close to 200 IP every year. If you can dump Igawa or Hawkins in the trade, that’s even better.
Raf on June 16th, 2008 10:56 am

i’d rather see Cashman grow some stones and make a trade for a real front of the rotation guy, or just dont make a move at all.
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I would probably lean towards not making a move at all. Lets see where we are with Wang first. The rest of the league sees that the Yanks lost their ace, if their asking price was high to begin with, it just got higher.
MJ on June 16th, 2008 11:40 am

I would probably lean towards not making a move at all. Lets see where we are with Wang first. The rest of the league sees that the Yanks lost their ace, if their asking price was high to begin with, it just got higher.
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Exactly. Panic trades are a recipe for disaster and only please the most reactionary fan and radio drive-time hosts…
hopbitters on June 16th, 2008 12:41 pm

It’s just a hypothetical situation. All the same, I don’t see the harm in pursuing a proven veteran when your rotation is lacking depth. The addition of a solid arm is not only going to help on the starting end, but take pressure off the development of the young arms.
baileywalk on June 16th, 2008 4:28 pm

Well, okay… let’s trade Ian Kennedy for an inconsistent starter who’s basically been average since 2003. And because L.A. loves us so much, they’ll take back Hawkins or the ultimate headache, Kei Igawa. I guess this just proves it ain’t easy being Brian Cashman.

Why would the Dodgers want Hawkins, who’s going to get DFA’d anyway pretty soon to make room for David Robertson? And what’s the point of trading a potentially decent, cheap, under-control young guy like Kennedy for someone whose best asset is durability? Lowe comes here and is — what? — a fourth or fifth starter? Unless they believe Kennedy truly is a bust, then that’s selling awfully low on him.

I agree with MJ: don’t make any moves and see just how good your pitching depth is. It starts with Kennedy and Hughes (he’ll be back eventually) and then moves to Horne, McCutchen, Marquez, Aceves and even Jones.
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