White Sox interested in Mike Lowell
As I am sure many of you know by now, the White Sox starting third baseman Mark Teahen will be out for the next six weeks due to an injury he sustained to his right middle finger which required surgery. With the injury in mind, the White Sox have reportedly contacted the Boston Red Sox about he possibility of acquiring disgruntled third baseman Mike Lowell.
Lowell has been on the outs with the Red Sox organization since the off-season, as with the acquisition of Adrian Beltre, and Kevin Youkilis already being on the team, Lowell has been out of a position with the Red Sox. And, since then it has become evident that the Red Sox are trying to trade the third baseman.
Lowell, 36, has struggled in the rare playing that he has seen this year as he has a line of .229/.316/.343 while hitting one home run and driving in 10 runners in 70 plate appearances. In 2009, Lowell hit .290/.337/.474 while hitting 17 home runs and driving in 75 runs.
If you ask me, acquiring Lowell right now does not make the most of sense for the White Sox. Because with the White Sox being 23-30 right now, they are in position where most teams would rather be looking to get younger and improve your team for the future, instead of trading in order to receive an immediate impact. Plus, there is no assurance that Lowell, would be able to regain his 2009 form, as at 36, this is when players start to decrease in production instead of improve.
In regards to the possible acquisition of Mike Lowell, White Sox catcher AJ Pierzynski had this to say about the Lowell-to- the Red Sox rumor…
“You’re never going to talk about rumors,” Pierzynski told “The Afternoon Saloon” on ESPN 1000. “Mike Lowell is a great player. Do we have what it takes to get him? I don’t know, that’s not my call.”“I’m happy with Nix and Vizquel; they can fill in for however long [Teahen] is out,” Pierzynski said. “We go with what we have, and we count on what we have. You never want to count on things that you don’t have, and you’re not guaranteed.”“We just need to win,” Pierzynski said. “It’s nice of him to come out and say that he believes in this team, but at the same time, we have to prove his faith correct by going out and winning games.” ESPN CHICAGO
Personally, I think the White Sox will evaluate what Jayson Nix, Omar Vizquel, and the recently called Brent Lillibridge can do before they consider trading for Lowell. Even if the three do not produce out of the third base hole for the White Sox, I still have difficulty seeing the White Sox trading for Mike Lowell.