Per a report early this morning from SI.com's Jon Heyman:
Free-agent right-hander Derek Lowe is in serious discussions with the Atlanta Braves, SI.com has learned.
The Braves are trying hard to finalize a deal that would solidify their rotation. The deal for Lowe is believed to be for close to $60 million over four years. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported the Braves were offering about $15 million per year in their efforts to beat the rival New York Mets to Lowe.
I find it most intriguing that the main competitors for Lowe's services are other NL East teams -- the Mets and Phillies. I wonder if that adds extra incentive for the Braves to get the deal done.
At the beginning of the off-season and through most of December I was not really for signing Lowe. He is clearly the Braves third or fourth choice, behind Jake Peavy, Ryan Dempster, and A.J. Burnett. Back in November, I warned that Lowe's numbers were helped considerably by the friendly pitching confines of Dodger Stadium, and those numbers haven't changed.
Year | Home ERA | Road ERA |
2005 | 3.74 | 3.48 |
2006 | 3.18 | 4.13 |
2007 | 3.51 | 4.19 |
2008 | 2.30 | 4.42 |
For the last three years the contrast has been startling, and that still concerns me. Lowe does have a career 3.54 ERA at Turner Field, so perhaps that home field advantage will translate from L.A. to Atlanta.
All in all I'm coming around to the idea of Derek Lowe at the top of the rotation. I still don't think he's a bona fide number-one starter, but he's a quality 1.5 guy, and a pretty good stabilizing force to have in that number one slot. The proposed contract is probably a little more than I'd like to pay, especially in that last year or two, but in this market that seems to be what you have to pay to get anything over mediocre.
If the Braves really are this motivated, and they put on as good a sales pitch as reports say they did, I wonder if we could see a decision from Lowe by the end of the week.
Another interesting side note to these contract talks is our sudden willingness to be in serious negotiations with Scott Boras. When was the last time we signed a Boras client?