What Lowe to the Braves Might Mean for the NL East
Not sure how we should feel about the Atlanta Braves landing Derek Lowe (4 years, $60 million).
Even with Lowe and even if Kenshin Kawakami* turns out to be a good major league pitcher, it's still probably not enough of an improvement to make up the 20-game difference in the standings between the Phillies and Braves in 2008.
Now, you can say that with the additions the Phillies will have a tougher time accumulating wins against the Braves, which is true. But then again, don't forget the Mets will too.
The one way that the signing could hurt the Phillies is that the Mets are now likely forced to go to Plan B (or is it C at this point? D?) and re-sign Oliver Perez. After all, who do you think will be a better pitcher over the next few years, Lowe at the ages of 36 through 39 or Perez in his late-20's/early-30's?
In the short-term, it's a pretty safe bet that Lowe will be the better pitcher and by choosing the Braves over the Mets, Lowe has indirectly helped the Phillies. But three or four years from now, there's a good chance Perez will be the better pitcher.
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* Not a safe bet. Kawakami's best pitch is a slower-than-slow curveball, and, little-known-fact: American baseballs are larger than the Japanese versions. It's possible that with the difference in size, Kawakami might have a harder time imparting spin on the ball.
