GM-less Sox Dealing - Grab Beckett, Lowell

The Olde Towne Team, which in recent months has been in GM hell, has finally begun wheeling and dealing this off-season in preparations for the 2006 campaign.

Peter Gammons of ESPN.com is reporting that the Boston Red Sox have tentatively agreed to a deal with the Florida Marlins (pending physical examinations) that would send stud starting pitcher Josh Beckett and contract liability Mike Lowell to Boston for 2 top prospects (Hanley Ramirez SS, and Anibal Sanchez, SP) and Single-A pitcher Jesus Delgado.

This deal is being met with some criticisms in the sports world but for the most part writers and analysts are saying that this is a steal and a no-brainer for the Red Sox. Adding the 25-year old Beckett to a very old rotation that included 3 players over 39 (Curt Schilling, David Wells, and Tim Wakefield) is quite the welcome sight for Sox fans.

Beckettt does come with a bit of a caveat... He has never pitched more than 200 innings in a season and has been on the Disabled List several times in his career due to recurring blisters on his throwing middle finger, and some shoulder issues.

Mike Lowell comes over as a $9 million liability for the 2006 and 2007 seasons (he is guaranteed $18 million). Lowell's production significantly dropped last year, when he hit .236 with 8 home runs and 58 RBIs. The previous 3 seasons he averaged just fewer than 28 home runs, 94 RBIs, and a .282 average. Interesting how the three-time All-Star's numbers dropped dramatically after Major League Baseball's original steroid policy came into play. Bostonist can only hope that the right handed hitter can utilize the Green Monster in left to bring him back to the prominence of the 2002-2004 seasons. Time will tell.

The major piece of this deal is Beckett. A 25 year-old pitcher with nasty stuff entering the prime of his career and coming to Boston (where all signs are pointing to the fact that an extension will be worked out immediately) sounds a lot like another trade that was made during the 1997 off-season which involved a guy named Pedro Martinez. Now, this might be a bit premature, but anytime a team can pickup a premier pitcher for prospects only, at least in the short-run, it seems like a good deal. Bostonist will be watching.

Photo courtesy of ESPN.com