The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Mets, Lowrie agree to two-year contract
Free agent infielder Jed Lowie and the New York Mets have agreed to a $20 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Thursday because the agreement is subject to a successful physical.
Lowrie is a switch-hitter who turns 35 in April and is coming off his first AllStar season. Like new Mets second baseman Robinson Cano, he used to be represented by Brodie Van Wagenen, co-head of CAA Baseball before he became New York’s general manager in October. Like Van Wagenen, Lowrie played baseball at Stanford.
While Lowrie played mostly second base for the Oakland Athletics during the past three seasons, he figures to see time at third and first with the Mets, who acquired Cano from Seattle last month.
Lowrie is the fifth AllStar added by the Mets this offseason, following Cano, closer Edwin Diaz, catcher Wilson Ramos and reliever Jeurys Familia, traded to Oakland last summer and then re-signed by New York as a free agent.
A veteran of 11 major league seasons, Lowrie set career highs with 23 homers and 99 RBIs last year and hit .267. He also has played for Boston and Houston, and he has a .262 career big league average with 104 homers and 509 RBIs.
He struck out a careerworst 128 times last year, up from 100 in 2017 and 65 in 2016, when he was limited to 87 games because of a bruised right shin and a bunion on his left foot that needed surgery.
Lowrie completed a contract that paid $28 million over four seasons.
TEBOW ENGAGED
Former Denver Broncos and University of Florida quarterback and current Mets minor leaguer Tim Tebow is engaged.
The Heisman Trophy winner announced his engagement on Instagram Thursday to Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, a South Africa native and the 2017 Miss Universe.
The 31-year-old Tebow posted photos of himself down on one knee and 23-year-old Nel-Peters wearing an engagement ring.
Tebow quarterbacked Florida to national championships during the 2006 and 2008 seasons. He was drafted in 2010 by the Denver Broncos, where he played two seasons. He also played for the New York Jets in 2012. Tebow currently plays professional baseball in the New York Mets organization. He is also a college football analyst for the SEC Network.
METS SIGN AVILAN
Left-handed reliever Luis Avilan has agreed to a minor league contract with the New York Mets and will report to major league spring training.
The 29-year-old Venezuelan held left-handed batters to a .220 (18 for 82) average last year, when he was 2-1 with a 3.77 ERA and two saves in 70 games for the Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia.