Why Lowell?

The Yankees like to steal players from the Red Sox, for obvious reasons, but I don't think pursuing Lowell is a smart move for the Yanks. While the Red Sox want to bring Lowell back as a 3rd baseman, where his defense is usually a plus, the Yankees are looking at Lowell as a first baseman. Can't the Yankees find a better hitter to man 1B?

Mike Lowell is a decent player who got hot at the right time. But, you always have to be a little bit wary of guys who exceed expectations in a walk year. I have a friend who kept Lowell in a keeper fantasy league before he went in the tank as a Florida Marlin. So ... buyer beware if the Yankees are going to pony up for a big-money deal over four years (it will probably take more years to get Lowell to relocate from Boston to NY ... how'd that work out when pursuing Johnny Damon?).

Mike Lowell posted career highs in batting average and on-base percentage this season. Prior to this year, he'd never hit .300 and his high for OBP was 0.365 and his 2nd highest OBP was just .350. Lowell is good for 20-25 HR's, but he's already 33 years old. It's hard to see him building on this year and becoming a .330, 35, 140 guy consistently, which is what the Yankees should be looking for if they are going to spend a lot of money on someone to play 1B.

But, having said all that, I guess I'm not against the Yankees overpaying for Mike Lowell. It's always fun to see the Yankees spend tons of money and come up short at crunch time.