The Mike Lowell Sweepstakes

Mike Lowell has accumulated a whopping 67 at bats this season and it sure sounds like he needs to leave Boston:

A Red Sox source ruled out any possibility of Mike Lowell going to the Los Angeles Angels in the wake of first baseman Kendry Morales going down with a broken ankle suffered while celebrating a walk-off grand slam over the weekend.

While the Angels are not a possible destination, it does appear the Red Sox are listening to Lowell's request to try to move him. A baseball source with knowledge of the situation told ESPNBoston.com that there are a number of clubs that have contacted the Red Sox about the possibility of acquiring Lowell, including the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.

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As David Ortiz heated up last month, Lowell told reporters in mid-May he thought it might be best for the team to just release him.

"I literally eat up a roster spot," he said. "I literally do. That's the way it is. ...

"The first baseman [Kevin Youkilis] and the third baseman [Adrian Beltre], they're two Gold Glovers. They never get batted for. I refuse to wish injuries to good players. That's so [expletive] terrible. I want to get playing time on my own.

On one hand, you have to feel bad for Lowell. Here is a guy who has been a starter his whole career and now thanks to injuries and a dip in performance over the past two seasons, he has been relegated to a bench player who hardly plays. But then again, don't feel to badly for the 36 year old Lowell, who is earning a whopping $12.5 million this season. But I digress....

The problem for Lowell is that the teams mentioned to be interested in his services all have a compelling reason not to go after Lowell. The White Sox are struggling and could be sellers shortly; the Rangers have the resurgent Vladimir Guerrero as their DH: and the Mariners have Mike Sweeney...would Lowell provide that much of an upgrade? Not in my opinion.

As tough as this must be for Lowell, it has to be a tough spot for the Red Sox. While the Red Sox want to do what's right for Lowell, the last thing they want to see happen is Lowell thrive for a team that they could face down the road with the playoffs on the line.