Baseball Guru
02-19-2003, 09:31 AM
By Ken Rosenthal - Sporting News
Jay Bell stands a better chance of cracking the Mets' roster than David Cone, but the team still would love to acquire either Mike Lowell or Shea Hillenbrand to play third base.
The Red Sox want a starting pitcher or top pitching prospect for Hillenbrand, but they devalued him by signing Bill Mueller to play third base, effectively reducing an All-Star to a part-time player who also will see time at first base and DH. If the Sox aren't confident enough in Hillenbrand to play him every day at third, they shouldn't expect him to bring a top pitching prospect like Scott Kazmir or Aaron Heilman from the Mets.
The Marlins are unlikely to trade Lowell to a division rival, and one club official says he would be "absolutely flabbergasted" if such a deal occurred. On the other hand, Lowell will have five-plus years of major-league service after this season. It will be his last year of arbitration before free agency.
Blue Jays outfielder Shannon Stewart just signed for $6.2 million as a five-plus player, and he's coming off a season in which he finished with only 10 homers and 46 RBIs. Lowell presumably would command significantly more, as would teammate Derrek Lee, who also will be a five-plus player.
Thus, it's logical that the Marlins will seek to trade Lowell and/or Lee, but probably not right away; since signing Ivan Rodriguez, they've talked repeatedly about wanting to contend. Except for shortstop Jose Reyes, who almost certainly is untouchable, the Mets lack the major-league ready position prospects that the Marlins likely would demand for Lowell.
Then again, the Mets should be motivated to initiate three-way discussions immediately and perhaps even secure Hillenbrand for the Marlins. They would control Lowell for the next two seasons, and they maintain an excellent relationship with his agent, Seth Levinson, whose Mets clients include Cliff Floyd, Mike Stanton and Steve Trachsel.
Jay Bell stands a better chance of cracking the Mets' roster than David Cone, but the team still would love to acquire either Mike Lowell or Shea Hillenbrand to play third base.
The Red Sox want a starting pitcher or top pitching prospect for Hillenbrand, but they devalued him by signing Bill Mueller to play third base, effectively reducing an All-Star to a part-time player who also will see time at first base and DH. If the Sox aren't confident enough in Hillenbrand to play him every day at third, they shouldn't expect him to bring a top pitching prospect like Scott Kazmir or Aaron Heilman from the Mets.
The Marlins are unlikely to trade Lowell to a division rival, and one club official says he would be "absolutely flabbergasted" if such a deal occurred. On the other hand, Lowell will have five-plus years of major-league service after this season. It will be his last year of arbitration before free agency.
Blue Jays outfielder Shannon Stewart just signed for $6.2 million as a five-plus player, and he's coming off a season in which he finished with only 10 homers and 46 RBIs. Lowell presumably would command significantly more, as would teammate Derrek Lee, who also will be a five-plus player.
Thus, it's logical that the Marlins will seek to trade Lowell and/or Lee, but probably not right away; since signing Ivan Rodriguez, they've talked repeatedly about wanting to contend. Except for shortstop Jose Reyes, who almost certainly is untouchable, the Mets lack the major-league ready position prospects that the Marlins likely would demand for Lowell.
Then again, the Mets should be motivated to initiate three-way discussions immediately and perhaps even secure Hillenbrand for the Marlins. They would control Lowell for the next two seasons, and they maintain an excellent relationship with his agent, Seth Levinson, whose Mets clients include Cliff Floyd, Mike Stanton and Steve Trachsel.