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Red Sox keep World Series MVP Lowell with three-year deal
ESPN.com news services
Updated: November 19, 2007, 5:46 PM ET
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Mike Lowell and the Boston Red Sox agreed to a three-year, $37.5 million deal Monday, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reports.
Mike Lowell
Lowell
Both sides have been in intense negotiations all Monday. According to ESPN's Peter Gammons, both the Phillies and Dodgers were apparently willing to go to four years, but Lowell wants to remain in Boston.
According to Olney, the Phillies on Sunday night engaged the free-agent third baseman in a conference call, where the framework of a four-year, $50 million deal was discussed. After Lowell spoke with general manager Pat Gillick, assistant GM Ruben Amaro and manager Charlie Manuel, there was a period of about an hour or so where it looked like Lowell was going to sign with the Phillies. The offer would have been formalized if Lowell had agreed to the deal.
Gillick last week flatly denied any interest in Lowell and had indicated that they were going to spend the Phillies' available money on pitching.
As of Monday evening there still was not a signed letter of agreement between the team and Lowell's agents, according to The Associated Press. Team spokesman John Blake declined comment.
In the three weeks since winning their second championship in four seasons, the Red Sox have re-signed their two biggest free agents, Lowell and pitcher Curt Schilling, and picked up options on Tim Wakefield and Julian Tavarez.
"How cool is that?" Red Sox pitcher Schilling posted on his blog. "Leaving years and dollars on the table to come back here for three more years, good stuff. Pretty nice to think you are fans in a town that is now a desired destination for athletes across the major sports. Come a long way for sure.
"Congrats to Mike and I've already spoken with a few guys on the team and suffice to say we're all" ecstatic, Schilling said.
Lowell followed a superlative regular season -- career highs in batting average (.324) and RBIs (120) to go with 21 home runs in 154 games -- with an outstanding October. In Boston's four-game sweep of Colorado, Lowell hit .400 (6-for-15) with four RBIs, three walks and a team-high six runs in winning the World Series.
He homered, doubled and scored twice in the Game 4 clincher at Denver's Coors Field en route to being named the World Series MVP.
Lowell, who made $9 million last year, was selected by the Yankees in the 20th round of the 1995 amateur draft. He played eight games for New York in the 1998 season before being dealt to the Florida Marlins in February 1999. He was acquired by Boston from Florida in November 2005 in the Josh Beckett trade.
Lowell's teammates and fans made clear that they wanted to see him back in Boston -- and urged them not to pursue Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who became a free agent before deciding to return to New York.
"Forget about A-Rod. We've got Mike Lowell in the house," Ramirez yelled out during the team's victory parade through Boston.
Lowell, 33, had initially pushed for a four-year deal with the Red Sox.
ESPN.com news services
Updated: November 19, 2007, 5:46 PM ET
* Comment
Mike Lowell and the Boston Red Sox agreed to a three-year, $37.5 million deal Monday, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reports.
Mike Lowell
Lowell
Both sides have been in intense negotiations all Monday. According to ESPN's Peter Gammons, both the Phillies and Dodgers were apparently willing to go to four years, but Lowell wants to remain in Boston.
According to Olney, the Phillies on Sunday night engaged the free-agent third baseman in a conference call, where the framework of a four-year, $50 million deal was discussed. After Lowell spoke with general manager Pat Gillick, assistant GM Ruben Amaro and manager Charlie Manuel, there was a period of about an hour or so where it looked like Lowell was going to sign with the Phillies. The offer would have been formalized if Lowell had agreed to the deal.
Gillick last week flatly denied any interest in Lowell and had indicated that they were going to spend the Phillies' available money on pitching.
As of Monday evening there still was not a signed letter of agreement between the team and Lowell's agents, according to The Associated Press. Team spokesman John Blake declined comment.
In the three weeks since winning their second championship in four seasons, the Red Sox have re-signed their two biggest free agents, Lowell and pitcher Curt Schilling, and picked up options on Tim Wakefield and Julian Tavarez.
"How cool is that?" Red Sox pitcher Schilling posted on his blog. "Leaving years and dollars on the table to come back here for three more years, good stuff. Pretty nice to think you are fans in a town that is now a desired destination for athletes across the major sports. Come a long way for sure.
"Congrats to Mike and I've already spoken with a few guys on the team and suffice to say we're all" ecstatic, Schilling said.
Lowell followed a superlative regular season -- career highs in batting average (.324) and RBIs (120) to go with 21 home runs in 154 games -- with an outstanding October. In Boston's four-game sweep of Colorado, Lowell hit .400 (6-for-15) with four RBIs, three walks and a team-high six runs in winning the World Series.
He homered, doubled and scored twice in the Game 4 clincher at Denver's Coors Field en route to being named the World Series MVP.
Lowell, who made $9 million last year, was selected by the Yankees in the 20th round of the 1995 amateur draft. He played eight games for New York in the 1998 season before being dealt to the Florida Marlins in February 1999. He was acquired by Boston from Florida in November 2005 in the Josh Beckett trade.
Lowell's teammates and fans made clear that they wanted to see him back in Boston -- and urged them not to pursue Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who became a free agent before deciding to return to New York.
"Forget about A-Rod. We've got Mike Lowell in the house," Ramirez yelled out during the team's victory parade through Boston.
Lowell, 33, had initially pushed for a four-year deal with the Red Sox.
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