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Lowe loves a good trade rumor (as long as it's not him)
Posted
at
1:32 pm
by By Kirby Arnold
Like most of us eager to see how the Mariners pull themselves together by opening day April 5, Mark Lowe pays close attention to the rumors this time of year.
"I'm on the internet all the time," the Mariners' right-handed setup relief specialist said today after a workout at Safeco Field. "It's the only time the entire year I get on the internet and look at stuff daily."
Today, Lowe would have seen another name linked with the Mariners: right-handed starting pitcher Jason Marquis. It's the second item in this hot-stove report on foxsports.com.
Marquis posted some numbers this year that certainly should pique the interest of the Mariners -- 15-13 with a 4.04 ERA for the Rockies with an impressive 216 innings in 33 starts. Here's another number to keep in mind, though: Marquis made $9.875 million this year.
Long before Lowe read reports that the Mariners were courting free agent infielder Chone Figgins, he and other teammates talked about what a great fit Figgins would be for this team. To his delight, the Mariners signed Figgins this week.
"I remember talking with Norm Charlton a lot about it when he was our bullpen coach, that if we could pick a team from the first person to the 25th, we'd start it with Chone," Lowe said. "He's a perfect fit for our team and for our ballpark. We talked about it all year in the bullpen, how good Chone would be here."
Lowe said he hasn't noticed his name in any of the speculation, although it did surface briefly during rumors of a deal between the Mariners and Tigers.
"I don't want to go anywhere," he said. "I love what we've got going on what we've got as a team. And I'm home grown. From the day I was drafted in 2004, I've spent my while career with them. I feel comfortable here. Trades are the nature of the beast and we can't think about it. If you get traded, you get traded. But I don't want to go anywhere."
Lowe pitched a career-high 80 innings this year, going 2-7 with a 3.26 ERA and three saves in a team-high 75 appearances. It was a season that put to rest any concern about the health of his right arm after major surgery in 2006 to repair a cartilage defect. The surgery was so comprehensive that doctors originally feared Lowe might not pitch again.
Lowe already is putting himself through a five-day-a-week strength program in an effort to ensure he can handle a similar workload next year.
On Mondays, he focuses on his upper body. It's shoulder work on Tuesdays, lower body on Wednesdays, upper body Thursdays and lower body again Fridays.
Next Monday, he'll add one more thing -- throwing a baseball, two sets of 25 throws at 60 feet.
"After throwing that many games I wanted to make sure I'm strong and ready to go through the whole season again next year," he said. "I added a couple of things (to the offseason work) this year. I'm working harder than I have in the past."
Want to hear more from Lowe?
You can get it first-hand from 3:30-5 p.m. Saturday when he and fellow Mariners reliever Sean White appear at the Mariners Team Store at the Alderwood Mall. Treat them really nice, and maybe they'll reveal the secrets to a few of those goofy bullpen rituals the relievers performed this year.
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