http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/b...raves_lowe.html

Braves also sign Japanese starting pitcher Kenshin Kawakami

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3829404

15 mill per for Derek Lowe is idiotic.

The Mets'll need to sign Wolf or Perez to play a decent form of catch-up. Phillies still have the top staff in the division, but there's a decent disparity between

Lowe

Vasquez

Jurrjens

Kawakami

Hanson/Reyes/Morton/ETC

And

Santana

Maine

Pelfrey

Redding

Whomever

 

15 mill per for Derek Lowe is idiotic.

It's a lot, but he's a very good pitcher that has made 30 starts every year since '02 and pitched 200 innings in all but 2 of those, with one of those years being 199.3. He only had one below average year and some very good years in there as well.

 

The thing it gets them is stability. Between him and Javy you have two veteran pitchers that you can pencil in for 30 starts and about 200 innings. With Jurrjens only pitching his 2nd full year at the MLB level, a Japanese starter that will be somewhat of an unknown and a question mark at 5 they have 2 MLB veterans who will go out and take the ball every start.

 

Did they overpay? Probably a little, more in years than $$ IMO, but he was balking at 3 years and I think about 12m from the Mets, so this is what it was going to take to get him. Sometimes a team needs to identify a need and be willing to overpay for it, I think that's what the Braves did with Lowe.

The Mets'll need to sign Wolf or Perez to play a decent form of catch-up. Phillies still have the top staff in the division, but there's a decent disparity between

Lowe

Vasquez

Jurrjens

Kawakami

Hanson/Reyes/Morton/ETC

And

Santana

Maine

Pelfrey

Redding

Whomever

 

 

From what I've read Jorge Campillo is the current favorite for 5th starter, with all those prospects in their system as insurance in case they have a breakthrough in ST.

 

There's the possibility, like with Contreras or Jake Westbrook, that Hudson comes back in July/Aug/September to give them further depth.

Reyes or Morton will likely be traded for Swisher.

15 mill per for Derek Lowe is idiotic.

 

$15M per for Lowe isn't idiotic... it's the length of the contract that is surprising... especially in this market.

 

$15M X 4 years for a 35-year old pitcher sorta screams desperate... doesn't it?

 

 

Derek Lowe is a MUCH better pitcher in Dodger Stadium than he is on the road. His ERA outside of Dodger Stadium last year was 4.42. Over the last 3 years he's 25-15 with an ERA of 2.95 in LA and 17-18 with an ERA of 4.24 on the road. Granted Turner Field isn't a launching pad, but it isn't as forgiving as Dodger Stadium either. I really think that's going to turn out to be an awful deal.

So players are still getting top dollar.

Just sign Garland, Kenny, Just do it.

Derek Lowe is a MUCH better pitcher in Dodger Stadium than he is on the road. His ERA outside of Dodger Stadium last year was 4.42. Over the last 3 years he's 25-15 with an ERA of 2.95 in LA and 17-18 with an ERA of 4.24 on the road. Granted Turner Field isn't a launching pad, but it isn't as forgiving as Dodger Stadium either. I really think that's going to turn out to be an awful deal.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/l/lowede01.shtml

 

His ERA+, which is ballpark adjusted, over those 4 years bottomed out at 114 with a highwater mark of 131 last year. Not a great pitcher, but still good and like I posted above he pitches 30+ starts and about 200 innings a year. I think they probably overpaid in the years, but with Javy he adds a stabalizing force to the rotation.