Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suspects that Mike Lowell would have signed elsewhere by now if he wasn’t returning to the Red Sox, and believes he will accept the three-year deal worth between $35 million and $45 million.

ESPN’s Buster Olney is reporting he “heard early this morning: Mike Lowell is close to re-signing with the Red Sox.” 

However, Rob Bradford at The Boston Herald writes “there still appears to be a healthy divide in terms of what the Sox are offering and what the third baseman feels he might be worth on the open market.”

The Yankees appear to be no longer interested in Lowell to play first base, the Dodgers are considering both Lowell and Miguel Cabrera to play third. Cabrera would cost them a number of talented young players, while Lowell would simply cost them cash.