Mike Lowell to Remain

Despite the persistent rumors that a number of teams had been willing to go to four years for the services of Mike Lowell, in the end it seemed that Philly was the only one. What's their to do in Philly? You should ask Lowell, whose rejection of a 4-year, $50 million deal comes not only as a rejection of the direction of the Phillies organization, but as an affirmation of the one we have in Boston, as Lowell is reported to have agreed in principal to a deal to stay in the Fens. The final number, expected to be a three-year deal for $37.5 million, should be announced this afternoon pending the results of physical.

All in all, I'm very happy with the results of these negotiations. There were really only two legitimate roads to follow for the third base situation. Either the Sox re-upped Lowell for a little more money than he's probably worth, or they parted with top prospects to try and land Miguel Cabrera. A-Rod never really seemed a real possibility to anyone other than reporters trying to chum the water when there was nothing to report. The rest of the free agent market was, to be completely frank, barren. Any trade for Cabrera would strip a farm system that is just beginning to flourish at the major league level, and would set the Sox up for another player who looks to be a DH in the making.

In reality the Lowell signing allows the Sox to maintain the status quo. There no way we're going to get his 2007 line from him with any sort of regularity (and in saying this, I'm hoping to be proven wrong each of the next three years), but his swing is fit for Fenway and his approach is a good one to have in the middle of the lineup.

The most irreplaceable quality of #25 is his clubhouse presence and the bridge that Lowell provides between old and young, Latin and Anglo. That, most certainly, is something than can neither be quantified nor overvalued. In a city like this, with a fan base so obsessed it'd rather talk about baseball at Thanksgiving than a football team on its way to one of the best single-season runs in NFL history, an even-keeled approach with a knack for leadership is a must.

All in all, a good signing. Welcome back, Mike.