Right-hander goes to Atlanta with four-year deal, pending exam
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
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By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
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Braves bring in Lowe
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ATLANTA -- The Braves impressed Derek Lowe during a meeting at Turner Field last week and then lured him to Atlanta with the four-year deal that he and agent Scott Boras were seeking.
A Major League source confirmed on Tuesday that Lowe and the Braves have agreed on a four-year, $60 million offer. The deal is expected to be finalized when the 35-year-old right-hander travels to Atlanta for a physical that will likely be performed on Friday or Saturday.
Braves general manager Frank Wren's previous attempts to land an ace proved unsuccessful with his pursuits of Jake Peavy and A.J. Burnett. But with Lowe, he has gained a legitimate front-line starter who will anchor a starting rotation that suddenly seems capable of helping Atlanta compete for a division title.
While serving as a starter for the past seven seasons, Lowe has averaged 15 wins and 208 innings. The 35-year-old right-hander went 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA for the Dodgers last season. He also increased his stock by going 6-1 with a 1.27 ERA in his final 10 starts.
Lowe's acquisition, combined with the one that brought Javier Vazquez to Atlanta in December, provides the Braves with a pair of durable right-handers who have consistently completed 200-inning seasons throughout their careers.
Adding depth to this reconstructed rotation is Kenshin Kawakami, a 33-year-old Japanese right-hander who was officially introduced during a Tuesday afternoon news conference at Turner Field.
While their interest in Lowe was initially slight, the Braves became even more interested in the veteran sinkerballer after meeting with him.
"He's a great kid," Braves manager Bobby Cox said when he emerged from that meeting. "This guy is first class all the way around."
While Lowe might not have the power arm of a prototypical ace, his power sinker has allowed him to distinguish himself as one of the game's top pitchers. The 3.79 ERA he's compiled since the start of the 2002 season is just .08 higher than the mark posted by A.J. Burnett, who declined a five-year, $80 million offer by the Braves before he signed with the Yankees.
In addition, the 1,456 innings that Lowe has completed since the start of the 2002 season rank as the ninth-highest total among all Major League hurlers. Making this more important is the fact that Vazquez ranks third during this span with 1,502 1/3 innings.
With Lowe and Vazquez, the Braves' rotation projects to have the durability that was lacking last season, when each of the top four starters missed at least two months because of injuries. This should only strengthen a bullpen that was burdened by the rotation's inconsistencies this past season.
The Braves' rotation will include Lowe, Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens and Kawakami. Jo-Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton, James Parr, Tommy Hanson and Tom Glavine could potentially compete for the fifth spot in the rotation.
Enlarge video and watch related clips »
ATLANTA -- The Braves impressed Derek Lowe during a meeting at Turner Field last week and then lured him to Atlanta with the four-year deal that he and agent Scott Boras were seeking.
A Major League source confirmed on Tuesday that Lowe and the Braves have agreed on a four-year, $60 million offer. The deal is expected to be finalized when the 35-year-old right-hander travels to Atlanta for a physical that will likely be performed on Friday or Saturday.
Braves general manager Frank Wren's previous attempts to land an ace proved unsuccessful with his pursuits of Jake Peavy and A.J. Burnett. But with Lowe, he has gained a legitimate front-line starter who will anchor a starting rotation that suddenly seems capable of helping Atlanta compete for a division title.
While serving as a starter for the past seven seasons, Lowe has averaged 15 wins and 208 innings. The 35-year-old right-hander went 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA for the Dodgers last season. He also increased his stock by going 6-1 with a 1.27 ERA in his final 10 starts.
Lowe's acquisition, combined with the one that brought Javier Vazquez to Atlanta in December, provides the Braves with a pair of durable right-handers who have consistently completed 200-inning seasons throughout their careers.
Adding depth to this reconstructed rotation is Kenshin Kawakami, a 33-year-old Japanese right-hander who was officially introduced during a Tuesday afternoon news conference at Turner Field.
While their interest in Lowe was initially slight, the Braves became even more interested in the veteran sinkerballer after meeting with him.
"He's a great kid," Braves manager Bobby Cox said when he emerged from that meeting. "This guy is first class all the way around."
While Lowe might not have the power arm of a prototypical ace, his power sinker has allowed him to distinguish himself as one of the game's top pitchers. The 3.79 ERA he's compiled since the start of the 2002 season is just .08 higher than the mark posted by A.J. Burnett, who declined a five-year, $80 million offer by the Braves before he signed with the Yankees.
In addition, the 1,456 innings that Lowe has completed since the start of the 2002 season rank as the ninth-highest total among all Major League hurlers. Making this more important is the fact that Vazquez ranks third during this span with 1,502 1/3 innings.
With Lowe and Vazquez, the Braves' rotation projects to have the durability that was lacking last season, when each of the top four starters missed at least two months because of injuries. This should only strengthen a bullpen that was burdened by the rotation's inconsistencies this past season.
The Braves' rotation will include Lowe, Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens and Kawakami. Jo-Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton, James Parr, Tommy Hanson and Tom Glavine could potentially compete for the fifth spot in the rotation.
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing the new updates on what has been going on around the league. We hope this season will still be able to be played. Have a great rest of your day and keep up the posts.
Greg Prosmushkin
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