Derek Lowe “Officially” Done with Baseball

Free agent right hander Derek Lowe won’t offer any sappy speeches to signify the end of his baseball career, but he told USA Today that he’s done.

"“I’m officially no longer going to play the game,” Lowe said. “It’s still enjoyable, but the role I was having wasn’t fulfilling.”"

Lowe, 40, is best-known for his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, where he was a member of the 2004 World Championship team that broke the Curse to win Boston’s first World Series in 86 years.

Acquired by Boston in one of the more lopsided mid-season trades of all-time, coming from Seattle with catcher Jason Varitek in exchange for closer Heathcliff Slocumb, Lowe established himself first as a reliever, leading the league with 42 saves in 2000. Two seasons later, he placed third in the AL Cy Young balloting while going 21-8 in his first year in the rotation. He was named to the AL All-Star team in each of those seasons — the only two such honors of his 17-year career.

The past few seasons have been a struggle for Lowe, however. He lead in National League in losses while pitching for Atlanta in 2011, then was traded to the Indians during the ensuing off-season. Though he got off to a good start with Cleveland last year, he couldn’t sustain success and wound up designated for assignment mid-season. Picked up by the Yankees, Lowe worked in middle relief through the end of the year and joined the Rangers as a reliever to start 2013.

He was released on May 23.

"“Like I told my dad, I’ll never retire,” Lowe said. “If you’re not playing, it’s completely self-explanatory. I’m not going to go to the Hall of Fame, so I don’t feel like I need to have a retirement speech. But I was able to play 17 years on some pretty cool teams and win a World Series. So, everyone’s got to stop playing at some point, and this is my time.”"