djohn14
01-13-2009, 04:19 PM
The Braves had to pay high to get Lowe, but finally got an ace for their rebuilt rotation.
Free agent Derek Lowe agreed to terms on a four-year, $60 million contract with the Braves, a person familiar with negotiations said. The deal will be finalized after he takes a physical this week.
In terms of dollars and magnitude, it’s the biggest free-agent pitching acquisition for the Braves since Greg Maddux signed a five-year, $28 million contract with Atlanta after the 1992 season.
There is always risk in signing a 35-year-old pitcher to a four-year contract, but Lowe has been one of baseball’s most durable starters since moving from Boston’s bullpen to its rotation in 2002.
The sinkerballer averaged 15 wins, 208 innings and nearly 34 starts over the past seven seasons, and with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season he was 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA in 211 innings.
In his final 10 starts, he was 6-1 with a 1.27 ERA. Since 2002, Lowe’s 106 wins tie him with Johan Santana for third-most in the majors behind Roy Oswalt (115) and Roy Halladay (113).
The agreement with Lowe came six days after iconic Braves pitcher John Smoltz’s stunning decision to sign with the Boston Red Sox.
It won’t fill the gaping hole that left in the heart of Braves Nation, but Lowe’s arrival will fill a void atop a rotation that will be without Tim Hudson (elbow surgery) until at least August.
Lowe joins a potentially strong, revamped rotation that includes Jair Jurrjens, coming off a 13-win rookie season, and offseason additions Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami.
“You put him on this staff, he’s a definite No. 1,” third baseman Chipper Jones said. “I think with his age and his experience, that’s the spot you want him. You want him leading your staff because he’s been around the longest and he’s probably been the most proven.”
Jones publicly criticized Braves officials last week for not doing enough to keep Smoltz.
“I still think that can be a really good rotation with John Smoltz in it, but no sense crying over spilled milk,” Jones said Tuesday. “What we got is what we got. We’ve just got to go out there and play better…
“But I do like — if this is true — I do like having two guys that you can pretty much count on are going to go out there and throw 200 innings, because that was a big part of our problem last year. We had too many instances where a starter went three or four innings and the bullpen got overtaxed … and ultimately overexposed.”
Vazquez, 32, worked at least 200 innings in eight of the past nine seasons, and each of the last three with the Chicago White Sox. He slipped to 12-16 with a 4.67 ERA in 2008, after 15-8 with a 3.74 ERA in 2007.
The Braves got Vazquez in a trade for prospects, and he’s under contract for $11.5 million in 2009 and $11.5 million in 2010.
Kawakami, 33, is a Japanese star who agreed to a three-year, $25 million free-agent contract with the Braves on Saturday.
“Big week huh?” second baseman Kelly Johnson said. “I think a lot of Lowe. He’s a tough pitcher to face because of that sinkerball. I thought we should go after him from the beginning. He’s a good fit.
“And Kawakami, from the video I’ve seen of him, is one of those guys who keeps you off-balance. I like the look when you’ve got those four guys in the first four spots, and we’ve got a lot of quality guys who can compete for the fifth spot.”
The Braves came up short in pursuit of high-profile aces Jake Peavy and A.J. Burnett this winter, along with pitcher Mike Hampton and shortstop Rafael Furcal. Then there was the Smoltz decision.
Braves officials seemed determined not to miss again on the last legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter on the market. They were aggressive in their recent recruitment of Lowe, bringing him and Boras to Turner Field for a five-hour visit Thursday with team officials, manager Bobby Cox, and pitching coach Roger McDowell, another former major league sinkerballer.
In addition to discussions about the organization’s philosophy and personnel, including the expected impact of its stockpile of pitching prospects, there were video messages for Lowe recorded by Alan Jackson and other Georgia country-music stars (Lowe is a fan of the genre, and knows Jackson and other country artists).
Did the Braves overpay? That argument could certainly be made, and it wouldn’t be the first time a team paid more than expected for a Boras client.
The only other reported offer for Lowe was a three-year, $36 million proposal by the New York Mets, although Boras said that was never formally made and was well below market for the pitcher.
Boras wouldn’t say if other offers were made, only that there was interest from several teams including the Philadephia Phillies.
Because the Braves don’t give no-trade clauses in contracts and have missed the postseason for three years, it was believed they might have to pay more than contending teams that give no-trade clauses.
If the Braves achieve their goal of returning to the postseason, they can lean on Lowe, who’s 5-5 with a save and a 3.33 ERA in 21 postseason games (10 starts), including 4-1 in his past eight.
For Boston’s 2004 World Series champions, he was 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA in four postseason games, with decisions in three series-clinching wins.
Staff writer Carroll Rogers contributed to this report.
Free agent Derek Lowe agreed to terms on a four-year, $60 million contract with the Braves, a person familiar with negotiations said. The deal will be finalized after he takes a physical this week.
In terms of dollars and magnitude, it’s the biggest free-agent pitching acquisition for the Braves since Greg Maddux signed a five-year, $28 million contract with Atlanta after the 1992 season.
There is always risk in signing a 35-year-old pitcher to a four-year contract, but Lowe has been one of baseball’s most durable starters since moving from Boston’s bullpen to its rotation in 2002.
The sinkerballer averaged 15 wins, 208 innings and nearly 34 starts over the past seven seasons, and with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season he was 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA in 211 innings.
In his final 10 starts, he was 6-1 with a 1.27 ERA. Since 2002, Lowe’s 106 wins tie him with Johan Santana for third-most in the majors behind Roy Oswalt (115) and Roy Halladay (113).
The agreement with Lowe came six days after iconic Braves pitcher John Smoltz’s stunning decision to sign with the Boston Red Sox.
It won’t fill the gaping hole that left in the heart of Braves Nation, but Lowe’s arrival will fill a void atop a rotation that will be without Tim Hudson (elbow surgery) until at least August.
Lowe joins a potentially strong, revamped rotation that includes Jair Jurrjens, coming off a 13-win rookie season, and offseason additions Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami.
“You put him on this staff, he’s a definite No. 1,” third baseman Chipper Jones said. “I think with his age and his experience, that’s the spot you want him. You want him leading your staff because he’s been around the longest and he’s probably been the most proven.”
Jones publicly criticized Braves officials last week for not doing enough to keep Smoltz.
“I still think that can be a really good rotation with John Smoltz in it, but no sense crying over spilled milk,” Jones said Tuesday. “What we got is what we got. We’ve just got to go out there and play better…
“But I do like — if this is true — I do like having two guys that you can pretty much count on are going to go out there and throw 200 innings, because that was a big part of our problem last year. We had too many instances where a starter went three or four innings and the bullpen got overtaxed … and ultimately overexposed.”
Vazquez, 32, worked at least 200 innings in eight of the past nine seasons, and each of the last three with the Chicago White Sox. He slipped to 12-16 with a 4.67 ERA in 2008, after 15-8 with a 3.74 ERA in 2007.
The Braves got Vazquez in a trade for prospects, and he’s under contract for $11.5 million in 2009 and $11.5 million in 2010.
Kawakami, 33, is a Japanese star who agreed to a three-year, $25 million free-agent contract with the Braves on Saturday.
“Big week huh?” second baseman Kelly Johnson said. “I think a lot of Lowe. He’s a tough pitcher to face because of that sinkerball. I thought we should go after him from the beginning. He’s a good fit.
“And Kawakami, from the video I’ve seen of him, is one of those guys who keeps you off-balance. I like the look when you’ve got those four guys in the first four spots, and we’ve got a lot of quality guys who can compete for the fifth spot.”
The Braves came up short in pursuit of high-profile aces Jake Peavy and A.J. Burnett this winter, along with pitcher Mike Hampton and shortstop Rafael Furcal. Then there was the Smoltz decision.
Braves officials seemed determined not to miss again on the last legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter on the market. They were aggressive in their recent recruitment of Lowe, bringing him and Boras to Turner Field for a five-hour visit Thursday with team officials, manager Bobby Cox, and pitching coach Roger McDowell, another former major league sinkerballer.
In addition to discussions about the organization’s philosophy and personnel, including the expected impact of its stockpile of pitching prospects, there were video messages for Lowe recorded by Alan Jackson and other Georgia country-music stars (Lowe is a fan of the genre, and knows Jackson and other country artists).
Did the Braves overpay? That argument could certainly be made, and it wouldn’t be the first time a team paid more than expected for a Boras client.
The only other reported offer for Lowe was a three-year, $36 million proposal by the New York Mets, although Boras said that was never formally made and was well below market for the pitcher.
Boras wouldn’t say if other offers were made, only that there was interest from several teams including the Philadephia Phillies.
Because the Braves don’t give no-trade clauses in contracts and have missed the postseason for three years, it was believed they might have to pay more than contending teams that give no-trade clauses.
If the Braves achieve their goal of returning to the postseason, they can lean on Lowe, who’s 5-5 with a save and a 3.33 ERA in 21 postseason games (10 starts), including 4-1 in his past eight.
For Boston’s 2004 World Series champions, he was 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA in four postseason games, with decisions in three series-clinching wins.
Staff writer Carroll Rogers contributed to this report.