Braves reach four-year deal with pitcher Lowe

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves reached a preliminary agreement Tuesday on a $60 million, four-year contract with Derek Lowe, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The deal is subject to the pitcher passing a physical.

Atlanta also finalized a three-year contract with Japanese all-star pitcher Kenshin Kawakami, but the 35-year-old Lowe is the big catch.

A 14-game winner for the Dodgers in 2008, Lowe visited the Braves last week after longtime Atlanta pitcher John Smoltz agreed to a $5.5 million, one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox.

Braves general manager Frank Wren declined comment on the agreement, but did say that Lowe would be a welcome addition to a rotation devastated by injuries last year. As an added bonus, Atlanta would be landing a pitcher who also was being sought by the rival New York Mets.

"We wanted to get back to being a pitching-[oriented] team," Wren said. "If we can do another couple of moves, we can get back to that point."

Smoltz, Tim Hudson and Tom Glavine all went down with season-ending surgeries, and the Braves were determined to rebuild the staff with pitchers who have been largely healthy through their careers. Glavine has yet to resume throwing off a mound, while Hudson isn't expected back until August.

Lowe was a 21-game winner for the Red Sox in 2002 and spent the last four seasons in Los Angeles, where he went 54-48, never had an ERA higher than 3.88 and averaged more than 200 innings a season.

Last season, the right-hander was 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA in 211 innings.

The Braves had hoped to re-sign Smoltz for a 22nd season in Atlanta, but he took a deal from the Red Sox that included more guaranteed money and the chance to earn another $5 million largely based on how much time he spends on the active roster.

In an interesting twist, the Braves reached the preliminary agreement with Lowe and held an afternoon news conference with Kawakami at Turner Field on the same day Smoltz was being introduced in Boston.

"It different, it's hard, but the game goes on," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "You pick up the pieces and get going."

Kawakami, 33, is another significant addition, becoming the first Japanese-born player in the franchise's history.

The 33-year-old right-hander held up a picture he drew with the symbol for "soul" in his native language.

"My pitching style is all about putting my soul into my pitches," he said through a translator. "I hope to show that in America as well."

Kawakami, the 2004 Central League MVP, has won 112 games in 11 seasons in Japan and was regarded as one of the top free-agent pitchers from Japan available this offseason. He was 9-5 for the Chunichi Dragons last year, though he missed several weeks with a strained back.

The Braves were confident about his health after the 5-foot-10 right-hander passed a physical on Monday, and they spoke with numerous Japanese people in the community to make sure he would feel comfortable in his new home.

"One of the things we found at dinner last night was Kenshin speaks a little more English than we originally thought," Wren said. "I think it will be a smooth transition. He's such a smart guy and has the ability to adapt."

Though many Atlanta fans were outraged over the loss of Smoltz, Wren and his staff moved quickly to shore up the beleaguered rotation.

The two deals also brightened what had been a disappointing offseason for the team. The Braves failed to work out a trade for San Diego ace Jake Peavy and was rebuffed by free agents A.J. Burnett and Rafael Furcal. Injury plagued left-hander Mike Hampton also turned down a chance to return to the team, signing instead with Houston.

Then came the biggest blow of all: the loss of Smoltz, who had spent his entire big-league career with the Braves but was coming off major shoulder surgery.

The signings of Lowe and Kawakami should take some of the heat off the front office, though Atlanta is still in the market for a power-hitting outfielder.

"They've done a good job of stalking it out and having some patience," Cox said. "There's a lot of teams involved, especially when it comes to the free agents. There's always six or seven teams going to be disappointed when they don't land the guy. That's what happened up with Burnett and Furcal, but that's the nature of free agency."

With Kawakami and Lowe, the Braves would have the makings of a solid rotation. They previously acquired Javier Vazquez to join holdover Jair Jurrjens, the team's top starter last season as a rookie with a 13-10 record and 3.68 ERA. Another rookie, Jorge Campillo, was 8-7 with a 3.91 ERA.

Vazquez was acquired from the Chicago White Sox for a package of minor leaguers after going 12-16 with a 4.67 ERA.

Kawakami is not overpowering, but he has good control, an effective cutter and a slow, sweeping curve that reminds the Braves of Roy Oswalt's signature pitch.

"You've got to have pitching," Cox said. "You can't play the game without pitching. You could have the best hitting team in the history of baseball and you still may not get it done. We will feel confident now that whoever toes the mound on any particular night, we've got a good chance of winning."

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York and AP Sports Writer Charles Odum in Atlanta contributed to this report.