FanPost

Lowe's Value

I've been wondering about the value of Derek Lowe. Like many Braves fans I was unhappy with the 60 mil 4yr deal to Derek Lowe in 2009. Since then he's thrown 388.1 innings and has a WAR of 5.3. That hasn't been worth the 30 mil we've paid him and you can see why the Braves were so interested in moving him last year.

However sometimes stats, even sabermetrics, don't give an accurate picture. Lowe is a big game pitcher and his performance in the postseason is really where the Braves will get their money's worth out of him. In the two games he pitched he went 11.2 innings, giving up three runs, striking out fourteen (1.02 WHIP). What's the value of that in the postseason?

Okay, so here's where I get a little meta. Because the Braves signed Lowe, the Mets signed Ollie Perez to a 3yr 36 mil contract. He's been "worth" -1.9 War. There's been talk that the Mets might cut him even though they're on the hook for another 12m. Against the Braves he's been terrible: 12 IP, 8 ER (7 BB, 5 HR). That's gotta be worth something.

To be honest, I still would rather have passed on Lowe and let the Mets have him for 56M (which was their rumored offer), freeing up 60M for a bat, but since we have him we should at least acknowledge that he's been worth a tad more than the numbers indicate.

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