Braves sign Derek Lowe

[NYgiantsfan5689]

Lowe agrees to $60 million deal with Braves | ajc.com

Derek Lowe signs with the Braves. 4 years, $60 mil.

[Kingdom]

Woohoo, Derek Lowe face.

[Dry1313]

Gayest thread title ever

[love_that_reefer]

Braves desperately needed Derek Lowe and is now the Braves ace by default. If the Braves wanted to compete in '09, they needed a front line starter and Javier Vazquez was definitely not that guy. Lowe should do well in his first couple of seasons. If anything, its a good move just keeping him away from the Mets. Braves could have a good looking rotation if Tyler Hanson is called up in June as expected.

[ljshorty89]

I assume you mean Tommy Hanson?

They needed a front line starter, but they gave a guaranteed 4 year deal to a 36 year old pitcher. He'll be fine for 2 years, but by the time he's 40, they'll regret paying him 15 mil per. The Mets will still most likely nab Ollie Perez, so I don't think they're too worried.

[Kingdom]

If he stays healthy, he wouldn't be the first pitcher 38 or older to be successful. And the Ted is a decent pitcher's park.

[love_that_reefer]

Thanks for the correction. I got Hanson and former Brave Tyler Flowers' names mixed up. Lowe is a sinker baller and is not a power pitcher so his age doesn't bother me too much. Lowe at the end of his contract will be an expensive #3 guy. The Mets might not be worried but I am sure they wanted Lowe over Perez based on performance. Lowe says he learned a lot from being with Maddux for half a season. That's a scary thing.

[ljshorty89]

Supposedly Minaya wanted Perez more, and I mean, if you're gonna give a pitcher a 4 year deal, I feel safer giving it to the younger player. Not to say I didn't want Lowe, but the guaranteed 4th year could be a risk.

[love_that_reefer]

Sure he's younger but he's not better. Rather give a deal to the better. Its all down to Perez and Wolf for the Mets.

[ljshorty89]

I don't know about that. Lowe is more consistent for sure, but Perez has better stuff, can pitch just as many innings, and is a lefty. I'm not sure which pitcher is better, especially since Lowe will end up making more money than Perez. Perez may end up being the better deal.

[love_that_reefer]

Well you might not know but I do. Perez is extremely inconsistent and doesn;t have better stuff than Lowe. He has a much more powerful fastball but its meaningless when you can;t locate it. Perez has had only one season out of the past four with a sub-4 ERA. Plus Perez is injury prone. Lowe is definitely the better pitcher of the two.

[ljshorty89]

First of, Perez has an excellent fastball AND an excellent slider. Yes, his control is not great, but that's inconsistency. He has days with great control, and days with awful control. Lefties tend to find consistency later than righties do, and Perez was rushed to the majors early by Pittsburgh, so he may have suffered. Not to mention that Perez is NOT injury prone. I'm pretty sure his only DL stint was a broken toe(back in 2005 with Pittsburgh) suffered by kicking a cart after a disappointing start. So, one injury, to his toe, does NOT make him injury prone.

[browntown653]

Well you might not know but I do.

[love_that_reefer]

First of, Perez has an excellent fastball AND an excellent slider. Yes, his control is not great, but that's inconsistency. He has days with great control, and days with awful control. Lefties tend to find consistency later than righties do, and Perez was rushed to the majors early by Pittsburgh, so he may have suffered. Not to mention that Perez is NOT injury prone. I'm pretty sure his only DL stint was a broken toe(back in 2005 with Pittsburgh) suffered by kicking a cart after a disappointing start. So, one injury, to his toe, does NOT make him injury prone.

Yes he's inconsistent. How is that making him better than the consistent Lowe? Perez has had nagging arm injuries besides missing time because of his toe. He was sent to the pen in Pittsburgh because of it. Again, only one season with a sub-4 ERA in the last four seasons.

[ljshorty89]

It's not. But it's not like Perez doesn't have the potential to be among the elite starters. In fact, Perez is 8 years younger and is MUCH more likely to improve, where Lowe is eventually(sooner than later) going to regress.