Originally published at GetOutofMyBallpark.com
If all goes as planned in the medical exams this week, Mike Lowell has played his last game as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
Last night, Lowell, affectionately known as Treebeard by SMC, was sent to the Rangers for 25-year-old catcher Max Ramirez. The trade is the first significant move by the Sox at this year's winter meetings, and is hopefully a prelude to another big move.
Before we get to that I want to take a step back and stop to appreciate Lowell, one of the most professional, classiest guys ever to put on a Red Sox uniform.
As I'm sure every other person with a keyboard and internet connection is writing today (or did yesterday, when the deal was leaked, but not official), Mike was a salary-dump throw-in as a part of the "Josh Beckett for Hanley Ramirez" deal. He never would have come to Boston if not for Theo's gorilla-aided hiatus in the winter of 2005, but for the time he was here, Mike was awesome.
A World Series MVP, 120 RBI in 2007, a non-pretentious version of George Clooney, as well as stellar defensive play made him a guy that Sox fans will never forget.
If you are reading this (and I pray to Vishnu that you are) thanks for being one of us, Mike.
On the flip side of this deal there is Max Ramirez, part of Theo's army of guys named Ramirez (we even have two Ram-Rams now). He is a power hitting catcher who can't catch, has wrist problems, and looks to be more of a DH or first baseman in the future than a catcher.
He has potential to be a truly fearsome hitter and is young enough at 25 to grow into his role as a catcher defensively. After a fractured season due to wrist injuries at Oklahoma (the Rangers' AAA team), he was the rookie of the year in the Venezuelan winter league this year (over Pablo Sandoval, who had one hell of a season in San Francisco last year), hitting .298 with 15 HR, 53 RBI, and 42 runs, so he obviously can play the game.
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