It does mean that any interested teams, if they so chose, could have contacted the Levinsons as soon as 12:01 a.m. to make an offer and try to snap up the classy third baseman in a hurry.
While Lowell should be able to get a four-year guaranteed deal in the open market, deep down he has wanted to remain in Boston, where his swing is perfectly suited for Fenway Park.
Lowell, like many players, follows the advice of agents, whose job it is to maximize the return on their clients. This likely will be Lowell's final big payday, so it would be difficult for an agent to justify advising him to take less.
Lowell, of course, has the final say, but he wasn't about to break in at the 11th hour and shout to the hilltops, "I'm staying! I'm staying!" as Curt Schilling did last week when he personally negotiated his one-year pay cut to remain in Boston. In fairness to Lowell, he's in a far different place in his career than Schilling, who wants to play only one more season.
There were reports over the past week that the Sox had offered a "very strong" three-year deal to Lowell, which he obviously felt lacked a little muscle. The Red Sox assign a value to each player, and the value they placed on Lowell apparently is three years and no more than three years.
Evidently, the total money is slightly less than the value they placed on right fielder J.D. Drew, who earns $14 million per season. Lowell would be playing at ages 34, 35, and 36 under a three-year deal. While an athlete such as Alex Rodriguez easily projects to be a top player at those ages, Lowell, in the eyes of the Red Sox, might have reached his peak.
The Sox might now start to kick the tires - if they haven't already - on the alternatives. One would be A-Rod, which is certainly a formidable Plan B. Rodriguez didn't get a lot of love from the Red Sox at last week's general managers meeting in Florida, but that may have been a strategic stance as they followed through on Lowell so as not to show him any disrespect.
