Nov 21
Lowell, Red Sox finalize $37.5M contract (AP)
“I feel the fans have embraced me, and I feel like I’ve embraced the fan base of Boston since Day 1,” he said.
Sam Levinson, one of his agents, joked about the contract length, asking the first question on a telephone conference call and inquiring whether Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein would add a fourth year.
“Well Sam. I’ve heard you ask that before,” Epstein said, chuckling. “We’re going to hold off. We’re very happy with the contract that we signed Mike to and look forward to a great three years. Appreciate the interest, though.”
Lowell gets $12 million in each of the next three years and a $1.5 million signing bonus. ESPN.com reported that Philadelphia and Lowell discussed a potential four-year deal on Sunday night.
“The tough part was searching between four years from other teams and three years with the Red Sox, but I can’t say that I’m upset with the situation. I mean, how can you be upset with the money that I’m going to be making in the next three years and with the team that I believe is going to compete for a world title.”
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 exercised options on Tim Wakefield and Julian Tavarez.
Lowell, 33, who made $9 million this season, had sought four guaranteed years and might have gotten it elsewhere.
A high-priced castoff of the Florida Marlins who was dumped on the Red Sox in the Josh Beckett trade, Lowell moved into the fifth spot in Boston’s powerful lineup behind David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Lowell hit 21 homers this season while reaching career highs with a .324 average and 120 RBIs.
Lowell batted .400 (6-for-15) during Boston’s four-game Series sweep of the Colorado Rockies, with four RBIs, three walks and a team-high six runs to earn MVP honors. Red Sox fans were still celebrating at Coors Field when they began chanting for management to re-sign Lowell and ignore the temptations offered by AL MVP Alex Rodriguez, alternating chants of “Re-sign Lowell!” with chants of “Don’t sign A-Rod!”
During the team’s victory parade, Ramirez also cast a vote for the incumbent: “Forget about A-Rod,” he yelled, “we’ve got Mike Lowell in the house!”
A four-time All-Star, Lowell was the honorary grand marshal at a Disney World parade last week. In announcing his new contract, the team also said Lowell had been named this year’s Thomas A. Yawkey Award recipient, as the team’s most valuable player. He becomes just the third Red Sox third baseman to win the award, after Frank Malzone in 1957 and 1959, and Wade Boggs in 1985.
The other remaining Red Sox free agents are backup outfielders Bobby Kielty and Eric Hinske, shortstop Royce Clayton, relievers Eric Gagne and Mike Timlin and backup catcher Doug Mirabelli.
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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.