The Boston Red Sox faced ongoing challenges at first base throughout the past season.
Triston Casas’ injury, Rafael Devers’ unwillingness to take on the role, and Abraham Toro’s decline after a strong start all contributed to the instability. In their search for a reliable option, the team even tried out Kristian Campbell and Masataka Yoshida at the position.
The midseason addition of Nathaniel Lowe as a free agent brought much-needed stability to the Red Sox’s first base situation. However, despite having team control over Lowe for next season, there’s a clear reason why Boston might consider moving on from him.
Nathaniel Lowe is non-tender candidate, insider confirms
On Monday, MLB Trade Rumors projected Nathaniel Lowe to earn $13.5 million through arbitration — a figure the site is usually accurate in estimating. While Lowe brings an impressive résumé as a former Gold Glove winner, Silver Slugger, and World Series champion, that projected salary far exceeds what his recent performance might justify.
In response to the projection — and echoing a sentiment shared by many analysts since his arrival — Red Sox beat writer Sean McAdam of MassLive reported Tuesday that Boston could very well opt to non-tender the 30-year-old first baseman.
“Because Lowe is projected to make $13.5 million the Red Sox could well non-tender him. They could then re-sign him at a lesser figure or allow him to become a free agent,” McAdam wrote.
“The deadline to offer salary arbitration-eligible and pre-eligible players has not yet been set, but usually, it occurs in the last 10 days of November.”
The Red Sox could probably sign New York Mets five-time All-Star Pete Alonso for less than double the figure Lowe is projected for, assuming Alonso gets a four or five-year contract.
It’s hard to envision Boston committing itself to a player who put up a .689 OPS this season and looked powerless against fastballs down the stretch when the Red Sox needed offense.
Given that Nathaniel Lowe was an above-average hitter from 2021 through last season, it’s reasonable to expect that a team might be willing to offer him a major league deal this offseason. However, before that can happen, the more immediate and likely move is that the Red Sox will non-tender him — a procedural step that now seems increasingly probable.
Leave a Reply