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Year		Comment
2011		Trade rumors swirled from spring through August, but Mike Lowell finished his career with Boston. Hip and thumb injuries encouraged an early exit for the 36-year-old, but Lowell racked up two World Series rings, four All-Star appearances, a Gold Glove reputation, and nearly 40 WARP over his 13 years in the majors.
2010		Lowell’s last two seasons were nearly identical, with one tremendous exception: his defense. He managed to remain one of the game’s best-fielding third basemen in 2008 despite tearing the labrum of his right hip in June, but in 2009, after the hip was surgically repaired, he was a statue, ranking dead last in UZR among American League third-sackers. As a result, Kevin Youkilis started nearly a third of the team’s games at the hot corner, and the Sox have been chasing first basemen in anticipation of moving Youkilis to the hot corner full-time after Lowell’s contract expires following the 2010 season. As for Lowell, he has hit .283/.335/.432 away from Fenway over the last two seasons. Unless he can make a miraculous recovery in the field, his career as a starter will end when he leaves the Sox.
2009		Even with the partially torn labrum in his right hip, Lowell was still an asset on defense, at least until it got to the point where just standing around was a painful experience for him. Mixed in with the health problems were a few months where Lowell was one of the better hitters in the game (.324/.381/.581 May-June), along with others where he could barely keep things above the Mendoza line. Injuries aside, the overall line was a near twin of 2006, something that might have been expected given that Lowell's 2007 campaign was fueled by BABIP excess. As long as the hip is healthy—and it is expected to be healed up in time for spring training after arthroscopic surgery—you can expect more good work.
2008		In the same way that Adrian Beltre's 2004 season stands out to the good, Lowell's 2005 season stands out to the bad. The Red Sox were forced to take on his contract following that dud as part of the Beckett deal, but they've now volunteered to pay him $37.5 million over the next three seasons. The price is right in this market, and they're protected against a decline by the brevity of the deal (Lowell had wanted a fourth year, but ultimately agreed to return for three). This year, look for his average to return to .280 and everything else to stay about the same.
2007		Lowell was supposed to be the poison pill in the Josh Beckett trade, with the Sox taking on the remaining two years and $18 million of his contract. Moving to Fenway, he figured to improve superficially, and with Kevin Youkilis still available to slot in across the diamond, the Sox might have leveraged Lowell`s resuscitated value into a midseason trade. But after a hot start (.317/.373/.565 through May), Lowell cooled off considerably (.269/.323/.432) and was left to play out the string far from any pennant race. Still, he posted a stellar season in the field; even if he continues his more modest hitting, the leather helps him maintain some value.
2006		Now with the Red Sox, the big question is if last year`s season-long slump was, as Lowell contends, a crisis of confidence, or a sign of deteriorating reflexes. While most players as good as Lowell don`t just suddenly pack it in at age 31, it has been known to happen--Kevin McReynolds had his last good year at 30, Dale Murphy at 31. One good sign was that whatever weakness Lowell had with the stick, his glove was still handy. Should he snap back to form, the Red Sox will get a player whose production is quite similar to what they got from Bill Mueller, with an increase in home runs compensating for the losses in walks and average.
2005		He exercised his "stadium option" in October, then agreed to stay in Florida for the next three years, being guaranteed $25.5 million over that time. His deal looks like a bargain when you consider what Corey Koskie—inferior, fragile—and Troy Glaus—comparable, fragile—signed for over the winter. Other than the fluke injury in '03, Lowell has been durable. He'll settle in at a level just below his '03-'04 peak and be a championship-caliber player for a team less than that.
2004		Give Jeffrey Loria and company credit in one sense. Tying Lowell's new four-year, $32 million contract to construction of a new ballpark by offering Lowell an escape clause should the new park not get built is a great way to deflect blame to the insensitive masses, who obviously don't care enough about the team and South Florida's identity if they're not will- ing to hand a multi-millionaire $300 million for no good reason. Funny thing is, the Marlins would catch a break if Lowell leaves before the contract blows up in the team's face. Though it's uncomfortable to bring up, Lowell's lingering mid-season groin injury required several tests to determine if he'd suffered a recurrence of the testicular cancer that forced him into surgery in 1999, which raises a red flag. Paying what's now top-of-the-market money for four years of a player whose comparable player list hardly drips with Hall of Famers, and who turns 30 in February, is a bad decision. At best we'd project I .owell to hold steady for the next two or three years. He's a much better bet to decline than improve, starting this season.
2003		He batted .330/.388/.542 over the first two months of the season and spent the rest of the year reverting to the mean. Lowell’s a Miami native and a solid plus at the hot corner, but the Marlins are looking at trading him for a younger, cheaper model this off-season. With the Red Sox looking to deal Shea Hillenbrand, that’s a potential recipe for disaster.
2002		See Derrek Lee. It's not quite as bad, in that Lowell has less service time than Lee, so he's less expensive and his offense—comparable to Lee's—is more valuable at third base. Lowell is comparable to Tim Wallach in his prime, an above-average hitter and good defender. The Marlins need a couple of their young veterans—Lowell, Lee, Alex Gonzalez, Preston Wilson—to take it up a notch.
2001		Mike Lowell played the final four months of 1999 at less than 100% after beating testicular cancer. His strength returned last year and he emerged as the third sacker the team envisioned when they acquired him from the Yankees. Lowell is rock solid in all facets of the game, and though he’ll never be mistaken for Troy Glaus, he will be a valuable contributor to the next good Marlins’ club. Since last year’s Wilton was dead-on, I’m not going to disagree with this year's projection.
2000		While Lowell has some power and can play third base, he’s not special enough to be worth Ed Yarnall. That move was Dave Dombrowski’s one misstep during this rebuilding process; given the pitchers he’s picked up since then, it shouldn’t be fatal. Lowell goes into camp as the starting third baseman after the Kevin Orie trade, and that Wilton looks accurate.
1999		Screwed, and now must go to bed every night rooting for Scott Brosius' evil twin to return. Actually, he's likely to be elsewhere by the time you read this, as his trade value is peaking and he has almost no value to the Yankees. Some enterprising team can get themselves a cheap six-year solution at third base if they're quick. Will hit about like Tim Wallach and play average defense; that will push a lot of teams towards a championship.
1998		Lowell came out of nowhere to obliterate the Eastern League for two months before a promotion to Columbus. The organization is impressed with both his performance and with the effort he’s put in to add muscle and power. With the Yankee third base situation up in the air, Lowell has a good chance to come in and win a job. Even if 1997 is a fluke, he could settle in as a Dean Palmer-type third baseman for 1/25th the cost.
1997		He’s not much of a third base prospect, but the Yankees are so thin at the position he actually looks halfway decent. Still two years away from any chance at a job.

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