So Much to like About Lowell - What Will the Red Sox Do with Their All-Star Third Baseman?

All-Star Third Baseman Mike Lowell knows what he is worth, and he is letting the Red Sox and Major League Baseball know just how much his price has gone up. Do not let the salt-and-pepper hair and beard fool you, Mike Lowell has plenty left in the tank and is once again hitting with power. Lowell is tied for the Red Sox team lead in home runs with 14, after hitting 20 all of last season. His average at the All Star Break is at a healthy .300 and as usual, Mike Lowell is one of the hardest men in baseball to strike out. There is no doubt that Mike Lowell has become very popular in Boston, no small feat considering he was the overpriced "throw-in" part of the Josh Beckett deal. Now that Lowell has rediscovered his pop, where does this leave the Red Sox and of course Red Sox Nation at the end of the year?

Red Sox fans know all too well the pain of watching star players just walk away from the team to pursue big bucks elsewhere. Roger Clemens, Mo Vaughn, Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon have all left via free agency after being low-balled by the Red Sox offers. And while some of these moves have not hurt the team too much, the losses of Clemens and Damon (especially considering the efforts of Coco Crisp and JD Drew thus far) still hurt. Will the Mike Lowell situation be more of the same? It all depends upon the valuation put upon Lowell by Theo Epstein and the Red Sox brass, however it might not ever get to that point as the trading deadline looms.

What could the Red Sox get for Lowell at the trading deadline? Hard to say, but any trade that could fill this team's glaring offensive holes has to be entertained. One reason that Mike Lowell could be traded is the fact that standout First Baseman Kevin Youkilis can move over and play Third Base. A trade for a hard-hitting First Baseman to protect an ailing David Ortiz in the lineup or even a way to correct the Julio Lugo signing would greatly help the Red Sox in the second half. With such a strong pitching staff, a slight or not so slight tweaking of the Red Sox lineup could be just the trick to propel the team further into the playoffs.

If you ask any number of Red Sox fans, a good portion would say to hold on to Mike Lowell. He is a classy player and a likeable kind of guy, not to mention his swing is tailor made for Fenway Park. The more Mike Lowell plays in Boston the more his horrible 2005 season looks like a fluke. A perfect number 6 hitter in the lineup that rarely strikes out and always makes contact is hard to come-by. Although his errors at Third Base are way up, historically he is the best fielder at that position - ever. If he continues to tattoo the Green Monster in the second half of the season and his defense does not deteriorate any further, the Red Sox would be wise to start negotiating a new contract. Otherwise get ready to add Mike Lowell to the list of great players that got away.