Now comes confirmation that the World Series is truly over - we've got some MLB trade news. The Cleveland Indians have reportedly worked out a deal with the Atlanta Braves to acquire starting pitcher Derek Lowe, according to SI's Jon Heyman. There's no confirmation or word on what the Tribe gave up to acquire Lowe as of right now.
Lowe struggled mightily this past season for the Braves, with a 9-17 record as a starter and a 5.05 earned run average with 137 strikeouts and 70 walks. He didn't win a single game during the month of September, going 0-5 with a paltry 8.75 ERA. Opposing batters were hitting .373 against him in that final month. In fact, Lowe really wasn't good at all after the month of April and was considered the worst of the Braves rotation in 2010.
That all seems like bad news from an Indians fan's perspective, but there is a lot to work with in regards to Lowe. He does only have one year remaining on his contract, so providing Cleveland didn't give up far too much for him in regards to his value (which should be at an all-time low as it stands), they aren't putting in too much of an investment on Lowe.
He did post better numbers in his first two years as a starer with Atlanta, going 16-12 and 15-10 in 2010 and 2009, respectively. Still, he hasn't been below 3.00 ERA since his first year as a starter, back in 2002 with Boston.