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).
10 Responses to “Derek Lowe”
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June 16th, 2008 at 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.
June 16th, 2008 at 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.
June 16th, 2008 at 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.
June 16th, 2008 at 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.
June 16th, 2008 at 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…
June 16th, 2008 at 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.
June 16th, 2008 at 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.
June 17th, 2008 at 3:05 am
[...] something much more palatable, Yankees blog Was Watching wonders if the Yankees might have interest in Derek Lowe: If Chien-Ming Wang’s injury does turn out to be season-ending, I wonder if the Yankees will try [...]
June 17th, 2008 at 9:27 am
[...] Indians, there are still plenty of other guys who could be plugged into the back of the rotation. Was Watching nominates Derek Lowe, and it should be mentioned that Freddy Garcia and David Wells are both free [...]
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:04 am
[...] weeks ago, I suggested going after Lowe. So, I would agree with a move to pick him up now [...]