The pitcher the Reds need to go after

[Brutus]

There's a lot of talk about C.C. Sabathia in the offseason, as well as Ben Sheets.

Let's face it, either pitcher would be a real coup de jour. But Sheets has a certain injury stigma attached and Sabathia is going to get really, really expensive and probably land in New York or Los Angeles.

Though I'd still go after either (most especially Sabathia), there's a name that will likely be on the market this offseason that I think is perfect for the Reds:

Derek Lowe.

Lowe has been extremely reliable most of his career. Really, other than his last season in Boston, he's almost always had a sub-4 ERA, terrific whip and has done a great job keeping the ball on the ground. Though he's not really a high strikeout pitcher, he does well enough to avoid being a guy that has to rely solely on his defense behind him.

In fact, Lowe owns a K:BB ratio of 2.5-1 in his career.

He's a groundball pitcher; doesn't walk a lot of batters; doesn't often get hurt and will be reliable for 200+ innings.

I'd give Lowe a couple of years at $12 mil per if I were the Reds (he recently turned 35). In my opinion, he would be well worth the investment.

[improbus]

There's a lot of talk about C.C. Sabathia in the offseason, as well as Ben Sheets.

Let's face it, either pitcher would be a real coup de jour. But Sheets has a certain injury stigma attached and Sabathia is going to get really, really expensive and probably land in New York or Los Angeles.

Though I'd still go after either (most especially Sabathia), there's a name that will likely be on the market this offseason that I think is perfect for the Reds:

Derek Lowe.

Lowe has been extremely reliable most of his career. Really, other than his last season in Boston, he's almost always had a sub-4 ERA, terrific whip and has done a great job keeping the ball on the ground. Though he's not really a high strikeout pitcher, he does well enough to avoid being a guy that has to rely solely on his defense behind him.

In fact, Lowe owns a K:BB ratio of 2.5-1 in his career.

He's a groundball pitcher; doesn't walk a lot of batters; doesn't often get hurt and will be reliable for 200+ innings.

I'd give Lowe a couple of years at $12 mil per if I were the Reds (he recently turned 35). In my opinion, he would be well worth the investment.

More ex-Red Sox pitchers...
But, not a terrible idea.