May 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A bag of baseballs sits on the diamond before a game against between the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Red Sox 'Will Almost Certainly' Cut Ties With $13.5M Veteran, Per Insider

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 6:53 PM ET

Free agency is far from the only challenge facing a Major League Baseball front office during the offseason.

Teams have to decide whether or not just about every player is worth paying for another campaign, and for players with medium amounts of service time, that means settling on salaries. And the relatively young Boston Red Sox will have a large group of players eligible for arbitration this year.

Some decisions could be difficult, as the Red Sox have roster construction issues and costs to consider. But one player may already be as good as gone, according to an insider.

Will Red Sox nontender Nathaniel Lowe?

Former World Series champion and Gold Glove-winning first baseman Nathaniel Lowe came to the Red Sox after he was waived by the Washington Nationals earlier this year. He had a decent August and September in Boston, but on the whole, his year was still a major step back from the numbers he put up early in his career.

Because he's in his final year of arbitration, Lowe is set to make an eight-figure salary next season, and that prompted insider Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe to assert in a recent column that the Red Sox would likely decline their arbitration rights over the 30-year-old.

"Nathaniel Lowe is projected for $13.5 million and will almost certainly be nontendered," Abraham wrote, citing MLB Trade Rumors as his source for the projection.

If Lowe were nontendered, he would essentially become a free agent a year early, and the Red Sox would still have the opportunity to sign him, as any other team would. That happened with Lowe's old team, the Nationals, and former All-Star reliever Kyle Finnegan last offseason.

After slashing .280/.370/.420 in his 34 regular-season games with the Red Sox, Lowe should have a market for potential starting jobs if he does wind up nontendered. But the Red Sox also shouldn't count on him to be their starter, because he finished the season with a 94 OPS+ in 153 games and struggled with high velocity in particular.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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