There’s a specific give and take with the state of happiness, and it’s a product of nature I do not yet believe I’ve fully submitted to. When I’m happy, I don’t have an edge; I can’t muster the same palpable creativity as when I’m upset about things most people don’t even think or care about. I’ll be turning 23 in two weeks, and in all that time I’ve yet to find a balance. The problem is, I’m afraid if I ever do meet an equilibrium with regards to my ecstatic joy and skittishly sorrow-filled relationship with the universe, that it in turn means I will have lost my edge and creative juices. That’s a pretty substantial sacrifice for someone like myself, who already likes the way he is.

With that said, even though it pains me to mention the Rangers’ signing of RHP Derek Lowe, it’s not the type of pain where I could reel off a thousand words in a half-hour. So that’s good.

If Lowe makes the Major League roster (which at this point appears like a certainty), he will earn $1.25 million in 2013 (per Jeff Wilson’s Twitter), and incentives could push that figure up to nearly $3 million (per Evan Grant’s Twitter). However, even though Martin Perez was recently injured, it’s believed that Derek Lowe is on the roster to be in the bullpen. To that end, he’s probably a decent investment, because Justin Grimm — if he is to be the 5th starter — probably shouldn’t be banked on for very many “quality” starts.

From a WAR perspective, even if Lowe manages to earn the entirety of his incentives ($1.7 million + 1.25 million salary = $2.95 million), that’s the FIP-wins equivalent to +0.6 WAR. It’s doable. (And that’s given that each Win Above Replacement is worth $5 million.) Anything over that would generate surplus value in the WAR/$ paradigm.

Was I thrilled with the $1.25 million base salary? Not particularly. I may be splitting hairs — because in the broader scope what is $1.25 million out of a $130 million budget? — but Derek Lowe was not a sought-after commodity. Like Kyle Lohse, it was March 6th, and Lowe remained unsigned. The difference between the two pitchers is that Lohse probably has a couple decent seasons left in him, and Lowe should have kicked the bucket on his baseball career years ago.

With Lowe on roster, it effectively ends the Rangers’ pursuits of either Kyle Lohse or Rick Porcello. I can’t say I’m all that disappointed, but Derek Lowe doesn’t exactly excite me, either. At all. The Rangers appear committed to using a scrub in the 5th rotation spot until Colby Lewis returns from injury.

To sum this article up in a sentence: “Rangers make another boring, cost-effective signing that will probably help the team.”

September 22, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Derek Lowe (34) throws a pitch during the fifth inning of a game against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Lowe, who is 39-years old, represents a cheap fallback option in the wake of Martín Pérez‘s injury. Also, this signifies an opinion that I shared with many others that the Rangers would not pursue free agent RHP Kyle Lohse, unless he came at the Rangers’ given price.

With the signing of Lowe, the Rangers give themselves a potential No. 5 starter who can hypothetically hold the spot until Colby Lewis and/or Martín Pérez return from their stints on the DL.

In terms of performance, I wouldn’t project Lowe to be anything more than a temporary innings-eater. With Lowe in the No. 5 slot in the rotation, it ensures that Justin Grimm will start the season in the minor leagues, which he evidently needs, given his performance in Spring Training thus far. Also, this signing more than likely ensures that LHP Robbie Ross will return to the bullpen in 2013.

Essentially, this low-risk signing will give the Rangers a well-needed fallback option that will also cause very little dominos to fall on the pitching side of things on the roster.

Mar 3, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Martin Perez (right) is checked out by a trainer after being hit by a line drive back at the mound by Seattle Mariners shortstop Brad Miller (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

This is an misfortunate turn of events for Pérez, whom was competing for the No. 5 spot in the Texas rotation. Pérez will obviously miss an extended period of time as he also needs time to rehab his pitching arm after he is cleared to resume throwing in 3-4 weeks.

Following Pérez’s injury, many media pundits already began pointing to the obvious conclusion of the Rangers now being in on Free Agent starter, Kyle Lohse. But based on Lohse’s likely demands after a career year, and the Rangers’ track record of an unwillingness to make desperation moves, I think that the Rangers will continue to look at internal options to fill the No. 5 spot in the rotation.