Whispers: Did Derek Lowe's Past Hurt Him With the Mets?

File this one under "whispers", but there is a bit of chatter out there speculating that Derek Lowe's past, which includes a history of marital infidelity and problems with alcohol, may have hurt his chances with the Mets from the start.

In 2005, Derek Lowe walked out on his wife and their children...and he did it by phone.

In a widely reported story, Lowe's wife told of her heartbreak and the TV news reporter who was in the middle of the firestorm. A reporter who, at the time, just happened to cover the Dodgers.

Derek Lowe has abandoned his heartbroken wife and kids and moved in with a TV reporter who covers his new team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That's according to Trinka Lowe, Derek's wife of seven years and the mother of their three kids, who said her husband has left her for Fox Sports Net's Carolyn Hughes.

"This is definitely the worst time of my life,'' Trinka told the Track. ``I don't even know how to describe it. I still love him. He's still the father of our children. But I don't want this to be glamorized like some other relationships that didn't start out so well. I don't want this to be portrayed as `They were there for each other when his marriage fell apart.' That's not true. The marriage fell apart because of this other person.''

Trinka said she made FSN aware of the relationship and a representative promised to investigate. A spokesman for the network said yesterday that Hughes, who hosts the FSN pregame show, ``Dodgers Dugout,'' has been taken off the beat pending the outcome of that inquiry.

``As soon as we were made aware by Mrs. Lowe that a potential problem existed we removed Carolyn from covering the Dodgers,'' Lou D'Ermilio told us. ``At present we're investigating to determine whether a conflict of interest did exist and beyond that we can't comment on a personnel issue.''

Hughes did not return our calls. For that matter, neither did Lowe's agent, Scott Boras. And Dodgers spokesman John Olguin declined to comment on the mound man's marital mess.

``A player's home life is personal,'' he said, ``and as such the Dodgers will not comment.''

But Trinka, who still lives in Fort Myers, Fla., said she knew something was wrong with her marriage as soon as she returned to the Beverly Hills home she and Derek bought after he was signed by the Dodgers.

``I went out to L.A. when the kids finished school, just like I used to do every year when we were in Boston,'' Trinka said. ``But when I got there I felt like something was a little odd. Of course, I hadn't seen him in a while and it usually takes him a few days to adjust to me and the kids.

``Anyway, he left on a road trip and he called me from the road and said, `I'm not happy and I can't do this anymore.' It was right out of the blue. I said `Whatever the problems are let's work it out. I will do anything, let's go to counseling, we have these kids.' And he said, `I don't want to work it out. I'm through.' ''

Trinka, who was with Derek for 11 years, said her hubby's reluctance to try to repair the relationship made her think that ``there was someone else involved.''

"He told me he wanted me gone when he got back from the next road trip,'' she said.

Trinka said she told her husband that she was going to wait four days to leave because she had invited friends from Boston and her brother to visit.

"So when he got back from the trip he went and moved in with her,'' she said.

Trinka said she knows this because when Derek came over to see the kids, he was driving Hughes' car, and when he left, Trinka had him followed.

"He went to her house and spent the night there,'' she said. ``He's now living there.''

Trinka said she went to Hughes' Manhattan Beach apartment and confronted her but the sports reporter denied that there was anything improper going on. She insisted that she and Lowe were ``just friends,'' Trinka said.

``They deny the relationship. She told me Derek sleeps on her couch and that she does this for all her friends.''

But Trinka did some snooping and found Hughes' number in Derek's cell phone under the name ``Jeff.'' She said she also knows that her hubby chartered a private jet to take him and his galpal to the All-Star Game in Detroit. And if she needed any more proof, incriminating pictures of the pair appeared on an L.A.-based media critic's Web site earlier this week, pictures that Trinka insists she knows nothing about.

Additionally, Lowe is reported to be a big drinker, and the habit extends to night's before he pitches.

"He has a drinking problem,'' said Someone close to the ex-Sox hurler. ``And a lot of his problems come when he drinks. And he wouldn't deal with it and that's why the Red Sox wouldn't re-sign him.''

Rumors about Lowe's womanizing and drinking have been out there for years. At one point, he upset the Boston Red Sox owner John Henry by bringing a woman--not his wife--to a team function.

Lowe was told that the family-oriented Henry would be upset that he'd be so bold as to show up with a girlfriend,. But Lowe thought he knew better.

"He's a guy, he'll understand,'' Lowe said.

Apparently, he didn't. In the small baseball fraternity that is the major leagues, this type of behavior doesn't fly with everyone, and that may include the family-oriented Wilpons and Omar Minaya.

Ollie, It Was Always You...Really

Do you count yourself amongst the Mets fans who always thought re-signing Ollie Perez was priority #1 for Omar?

Here's a virtual hand slap from one brother to another.

Yes, I am happy...very happy. Oliver Perez has 15-18 win upside, is lefthanded, a power pitcher, and he demonstrated a ton of big game moxie in 2008.

I recently wrote a piece that details my thinking, and I want to repeat just a bit of it here:

Yes, there is the old "good Ollie/bad Ollie" stuff to trot out like a worn shoe and debate over until the cows come home.

So why should he stay? The answer is innings.

At the prime age of 27, Ollie Perez is an innings eater, and he has now entered the "pitching prime" zone of 27-32.

In 2008 Ollie Perez had the following innings by month stats:

Months

Direct Link

 I Split         G   GS GF  W  L  S CG SHO   IP
+-+------------+---+---+--+--+--+--+--+---+-----+-
  April/March     6   6  0  2  2  0  0   0  29.0
   May            5   5  0  2  1  0  0   0  30.2
   June           6   6  0  2  2  0  0   0  30.2
   July           5   5  0  1  1  0  0   0  32.2
   August         6   6  0  2  1  0  0   0  38.1
   Sept/Oct       6   6  0  1  0  0  0   0  32.2

For a #3/#4 starter, those are outstanding numbers, and he figures to reliably stay at or near the 200 IP range for the foreseeable future.

Still not convinced? OK, let me throw another stat at you--3.95 road ERA. That figure was 16th best in the NL, and 2nd best among Mets starters, trailing only Johan Santana. Ollie, for all his faults, is a road warrior.

We could go on about how well he pitched in big games, how he fared against our rivals, etc, but the bottom line is the Mets need to make a strong pitch for Ollie and match whatever offer he gets.

Now the good part about all this is that by practicing patience, the Mets are on the verge of signing Perez to what can best be described as a "fair deal". The current numbers being bandied about are 3 years and $30M.

After the season ended most folks thought Ollie was likely to sign for $12M-$13M per season, so $10M a year seems like a reasonable price to pay for a guy with Ollie's stuff and NY pedigree.

There are more questions to be answered in the rotation (I'm still not convinced on Tim Redding, though he is saying all the right things right now and seems like a great guy), but with Ollie back in the fold, the 2009 staff suddenly looks a whole lot better.

Are You in the Pedro or Redding Camp?

It's been a fun off-season to be a Mets fan.

First we had the KRod signing--quick, to the point, Mets get their man, fair contract, etc. Good times.

Then, on December 10th, Omar came off the top rope and put together a trade that netted JJ Putz, Sean Green and Jeremy Reed. Yes we lost Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith, Mike Carp, Jason Vargas and Endy Chavez, but overall it was a brilliant move.

Mets fans will love Sean Green....trust me on this.

Lately all us blogger types have been vacillating on which free agent starting pitchers the Mets will (or won't) sign, what the contracts will (or won't) be, which teams are (or aren't) involved, and more.

While that's all well and good, let's take a look at a "potential" 5th starter and see where the two stack up. Both men have their fans and their detractors, so the conversation, I hope, will center around past performance as a measure of potential in 2009.

Tale of the Tape

Pedro Martinez #45 SP

2008 STATS
ERA	W-L	SO	WHIP
5.61	5-6	87	1.57

Full Name Pedro Jaime Martinez Birth Date October 25, 1971 Birth Place Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic Weight 193 lbs.

Height 5-11 Bats Right Throws Right Experience 16 years

College Ohio Dominican Salary 2008: $11,813,351

Tim Redding #17 SP

2008 STATS
ERA	W-L	SO	WHIP
4.95	10-11	120	1.43

Full Name Timothy James Redding Birth Date February 12, 1978 Birth Place Rochester, NY Weight 218 lbs.

Height 6-0 Bats Right Throws Right Experience 6 years

Drafted 20th round draft pick Salary 2008: $1,000,000

OK, this doesn't tell us much--we know Pedro had a rough 2008--injuries, death of his father, came back from rehab, not much pop on his fastball.

Redding had the second best year of his career. He pitched a solid 182 innings and was something of a workhorse for a terrible Nationals team.

Let's dive a bit deeper in the stats.

Pedro:

2008 Pitching Splits
Overall	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Total	5.62	5	6	0	0	20	20	0	109.0	127	70	68	19	44	87	.294
As Starter	5.62	5	6	0	0	20	20	0	109.0	127	70	68	19	44	87	.294
Opponent Batting	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Total	432	70	127	25	1	19	64	44	6	87	15	2	.294	.359	.488	.847
By Breakdown	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Home	5.00	1	3	0	0	8	8	0	45.0	41	27	25	5	22	33	.244
Away	6.05	4	3	0	0	12	12	0	64.0	86	43	43	14	22	54	.326
Day	4.07	2	1	0	0	6	6	0	31.0	34	15	14	1	10	19	.283
Night	6.23	3	5	0	0	14	14	0	78.0	93	55	54	18	34	68	.298
Grass	5.62	5	6	0	0	20	20	0	109.0	127	70	68	19	44	87	.294
Right / Left	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs. Left	230	44	70	13	0	11	39	23	3	42	7	0	.304	.366	.504	.871
vs. Right	202	26	57	12	1	8	25	21	3	45	8	2	.282	.351	.470	.821
By Day/Month	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
July	4.40	1	0	0	0	3	3	0	14.1	13	7	7	4	7	13	.232
April	10.80	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	3.1	4	4	4	2	1	1	.308
June	6.67	2	2	0	0	5	5	0	27.0	38	21	20	2	10	20	.330
August	3.83	2	1	0	0	7	7	0	42.1	41	19	18	9	14	33	.263
September	7.77	0	3	0	0	4	4	0	22.0	31	19	19	2	12	20	.337
Pre-All Star	6.25	3	2	0	0	9	9	0	44.2	55	32	31	8	18	34	.299
Post-All Star	5.18	2	4	0	0	11	11	0	64.1	72	38	37	11	26	53	.290

Redding:

2008 Pitching Splits
Overall	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Total	4.95	10	11	0	0	33	33	1	182.0	195	110	100	27	65	120	.275
As Starter	4.95	10	11	0	0	33	33	1	182.0	195	110	100	27	65	120	.275
Opponent Batting	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Total	709	110	195	40	1	27	93	65	7	120	13	7	.275	.338	.449	.786
By Breakdown	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Home	5.61	6	7	0	0	18	18	0	94.2	117	67	59	15	30	55	.305
Away	4.23	4	4	0	0	15	15	1	87.1	78	43	41	12	35	65	.240
Day	3.44	3	1	0	0	6	6	1	36.2	36	15	14	3	9	25	.261
Night	5.33	7	10	0	0	27	27	0	145.1	159	95	86	24	56	95	.278
Grass	4.95	10	11	0	0	33	33	1	182.0	195	110	100	27	65	120	.275
Right / Left	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs. Left	358	54	99	25	1	13	47	38	2	54	8	3	.277	.346	.461	.807
vs. Right	351	56	96	15	0	14	46	27	5	66	5	4	.274	.329	.436	.765
By Day/Month	ERA	W	L	SV	SVO	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
April	3.55	3	2	0	0	6	6	0	33.0	25	19	13	4	14	22	.203
May	3.86	3	1	0	0	6	6	0	35.0	33	16	15	4	14	22	.250
June	5.19	0	0	0	0	6	6	0	34.2	42	21	20	5	9	21	.296
July	4.82	1	3	0	0	5	5	1	28.0	38	15	15	1	5	19	.339
August	5.46	2	2	0	0	5	5	0	28.0	31	17	17	8	11	19	.277
September	7.71	1	3	0	0	5	5	0	23.1	26	22	20	5	12	17	.295
Post-All Star	6.82	3	8	0	0	13	13	1	67.1	80	53	51	14	27	45	.303
Pre-All Star	3.85	7	3	0	0	20	20	0	114.2	115	57	49	13	38	75	.258

Hmmmm, several flags for both.

Redding had a solid start to his season: 3.85 ERA, .257 BAA, 6-3 in April and May. But look at the rest of the season--he reverted back to "Redding normal", which is a pitcher who has trouble getting out of his own way.

ERA in the last 4 months of the season: 5.19, 4.82, 5.46, 7.71. That is awful. He finished the year with a pitiful 89 ERA+, which is one point higher than his career ERA+. How about 13 HRs allowed in his last 51 innings pitched? Flag!

And what of Pedro? We all saw his fastball topping out between 87 and 89 mph, with the very occassional low 90s on the gun. His pitches were up, he didn't have the same control, and his motion looked different.

The number aren't pretty either. 7.77 ERA in September when the team needed him most, a .326 BAA on the road, etc.

So play GM--which man would you prefer if it comes down to one of them for the 5th spot?

My money is still on Pedro--I've just never been a fan of Redding, and he was awful last year after May. Pedro actually had a very good August, and I believe that is the pitcher he is capable of being in 2009.

If Redding decides to take the Mets offer, and we haven't heard the details, hopefully Pedro will come to camp and fight.

Pedro wants to be a Met, and as this excellent article in the NY Post points out, he has some unfinished business.

At the end of the day I still trust Pedro a heck of a lot more than Tim Redding.

Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez and the $150M Budget

Walk with me for a minute Mets fans.

First, let's take a stroll through Citi Field. My apologies for the weather.

Look at the fences...look at the dimensions...look at the beautiful architecture.

Is this a dream? Are Mets fans really deserving of all this largess?

Now close your eyes for a moment....think of the warm Florida breezes in February and March. Think about the hiss of the fastball and the popping of the glove. The crack as bat meets ball. The infield and dugout chatter. Now picture opening day and a beautiful 2009 in this new cathedral in Queens.

They are the sweet sounds and smells of baseball.

Now think about a Mets starting rotation of:

Johan Santana
Derek Lowe
Oliver Perez
John Maine
Mike Pelfrey

How truly wonderful would that be? Could it be a reality? If so, what would it take? Think about that rotation, together, for the next 3+ years.

Can the Mets afford to add another $25M to the payroll? Didn't they have a ton of money come off the books from the $138M they spent last year?

Haven't they lost the services of Pedro Martinez and his $12M a year? Moises Alou at $7.5M a year? El Duque at $7M a year? Jorge Sosa and his $2M a year? Scott Schoeneweis and his $3.6M a year?

Sure they locked down KRod and JJ Putz, and that cost $18M a year, but is there not room for more?

Was $138M last year really the most the Mets will spend?

If you could have those 5 starters--3 power pitchers, 3 righty's and 2 lefty's, a wonderful mix of youth and prime, fastballs, slider, curveballs, changeups and sinkers, locked up for 3+ years, would you do it? Could you do it? Should you do it?

The answer is yes, and the possibility is more real than the papers would have you believe.

Mets Morning Musings: The Rumor Mill

There are a lot of Mets rumors out there right now, and some of them are written as facts. It seems as if every tidbit that one writer generates causes every other writer and blogger to go into copycat mode immediately.

Some of these folks are friends of mine, so any criticism is not a calling out per se, but rather a look at the state of affairs in the world of Mets Blogospheres.

To whit: Ken Davidoff, a very good reporter, writes, "Confident Mets Will Not Raise Offer to Lowe, source says." The headline purports to have some very inside information. But wait, what is this source that Ken has? See if you can glean it from the only reference made to him/her in Davidoff's piece.

"The Mets, confident that they have no serious competition for Derek Lowe's services, do not intend to raise their three-year, $36-million offer to the righthander at this time, a person informed of the club's thinking told Newsday."

Wait a minute, a "person informed of the club's thinking"? What does that even mean? Who is this mystery "person informed of the clubs thinking"?

If you read Davidoff's piece, I guess that all of us are now "people informed of the clubs thinking."

But there's more--Newsday's Kat O'Brien, yes the same paper Ken Davidoff writes for, had this piece only yesterday, "Mets Talks with Lowe to Heat Up!"

I guess Ken and Kat forgot to compare notes, or maybe Kat wasn't invited to coffee at the diner with Ken and the "person informed of the cubs thinking."

Hey Kat, read Ken's piece--now you're also informed.

What do I think? The Mets are big time in the hunt for Lowe, and there is wiggle room above 3 years and $36M. Just how much is what no one knows, not even a "person informed of the clubs thinking".