The Market for Mike Lowell

The Red Sox are putting on the full court press as they try to free up some payroll by trading away third baseman Mike Lowell. Even though Lowell is still a productive hitter at the dish, it's become clear that the Red Sox are looking to move in another direction. As ESPN's Jayson Stark tweeted:

Hearing Red Sox have 2 or 3 teams they could trade Mike Lowell to right now if they take "similar" contract back

Given the lack of desirable players with contracts similar to Lowell's on the trade market, it's going to take some creativity to get a deal done. So what teams might be interested in acquiring Mike Lowell for "a similar contract"? Let's take a look:

• Twins (for Jon Rauch and Nick Punto)

The Twins are in the market for a third baseman and Lowell would be a really nice addition for the Twins. Rauch and Punto combined are set to make around $8 million this season, but I doubt that figure would be too great of a deterrent from a deal being made. Punto could be a quality 25th man on the Red Sox and provide some depth for the Sox to allow Jed Lowrie to develop further in the minors, while Rauch would add even more depth to the already deep and formidable Red Sox bullpen.

• White Sox (for Scott Linebrink)

The White Sox are not in dire need of a third baseman after acquiring Mark Teahen from the Royals, but Lowell could be a nice fit here as a third baseman and DH. In addition, Linebrink is owed $10.5 million over the next two years, and even though he had some struggles in 2009, he would be a nice addition to the Red Sox bullpen. The Sox would be set to save some money in 2010 as well, which is a nice bonus given their interest in big the big free agents namely: Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, and Adrian Beltre.

• Rangers (for Kevin Millwood)

Even though their salaries match up, John Paul Morosi does not see this deal happening despite the Rangers desire for a right handed first baseman with power.


****Where do you think Lowell should wind up? Which destination makes the most sense?*****