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All-time Mariners' pitching staff of best players who got away

To close out this 3-part series, we work our way onto the mound diving into the best pitching staff the Mariners could have, and should have, held onto.

Baltimore Orioles v Seattle Mariners
Baltimore Orioles v Seattle Mariners | Stephen Brashear/GettyImages
5 of 8
Derek Lowe
Red Sox v Yankees Game 7 | Jed Jacobsohn/GettyImages

SP - Derek Lowe - (7/31/1997) SP Derek Lowe and C Jason Varitek to Boston for RP Heathcliff Slocumb.

And back we go to another trade involving multiple players for one Reliever. Yes, I talked about this trade already, but that was just one of the two big pieces that the Mariners gave up. Derek Lowe was more of a low-key asset to the early 2000s Red Sox teams, but man, was he good.

Derek Lowe began his career with the Red Sox as primarily a bullpen arm and as one of the league's best Closers in 2000. In that year, he made his first All-Star team, and even led the American League in Saves, with 42. He would only record 24 saves the following year, as he spent some time working to be a Starter, which he would learn to do very well, by the way. In his first full season as a Starting Pitcher, Lowe pitched 219.2 innings to go along with a 2.58 ERA and a 21-8 record. And yes, another All-Star nod to go along with that.

He would help the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series, with the help of his Catcher, Jason Varitek. He played for a total of 17 seasons in the MLB, bouncing between the Red Sox, Dodgers, Braves, and a few other short stints all after being dealt from Seattle. Seeing Lowe, Varitek, and David Ortiz all be a part of a World Series-winning team stung the hearts of Mariner fans for years, but, you have to say, we were pretty darn good as as the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate during that time. Welcome to the rotation, Derek.

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