The Boston Red Sox are no strangers to having to make tough decisions at the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline but they almost crossed the line seasons ago.
The Red Sox were expected to be a contender entering the 2010 season but instead used that time to transition from one core to the next. That left star third baseman Mike Lowell in a tough spot amid his final season. At the deadline, Boston tried to convince the franchise cornerstone to join the other side of the historic rivalry for the final two months of his career.
"It was a surreal moment because I started my career with the (New York) Yankees -- I was a call-up in ’98 -- but I really didn’t want to end my career with the Yankees," Lowell said on Audacy's Baseball Isn't Boring Podcast. "I had learned to love competing against and beating the Yankees. This is what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to go back at that point. I just felt useless. If the Red Sox wanted to trade me to the Yankees there was nothing in store for me."
The initial role was to be the Yankees' designated hitter against left-handed pitching but the acquisition of Lance Berkman while Lowell was processing the move made things murky. At the end of the day, he didn't want to join the Yankees for no reason.
"I was not going to the Yankees to sit on the bench. If I was going to sit on the bench I wanted to sit on the bench for the Red Sox," Lowell said.
A Kevin Youkilis injury just days after the deadline thrust Lowell back into the everyday lineup. He went on to hit .254 with 11 extra-base hits including three home runs, 14 RBIs and a .684 OPS in the final 42 games of his career following the decision to invoke his no-trade clause.
Lowell is a huge part of the Red Sox organization to this day. A trade to the Yankees to close out his career would have put that in jeopardy.
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