Dec. 4 -- PHILS TO TAKE LOWE ROAD?

BY SCOTT LAUBER

PHILADELPHIA -- Maybe it's because I went to college in Boston. Or, perhaps, it's because I still have many friends who live/work there. Regardless, the Boston Globe is a staple of my daily reading, and in today's edition, well-connected baseball writer and friend Tony Massarotti reported that the Phillies have made a contract offer to Derek Lowe.

So, Ruben Amaro Jr., is this true?

"I can't confirm or deny it, but I'll tell you that we have talked to Derek Lowe's representatives," Amaro said today. "He's not the only free-agent pitcher that we've had discussions with. There have been plenty of them."

Asked if making a deal with Lowe (or any other free-agent pitcher) would preclude the Phillies from also re-signing Jamie Moyer, Amaro said, "It could, but again, the way a deal is done, a lot of it depends on the structure of the deal to see if we can add more. That's one of the challenges we have. There's not just one area that we want to address. It's obvious that we have an outfield situation to deal with, and we'd like to add some more bullpen help if we could. I'd be more than happy to have six starters, or seven, or eight. It's a good problem to have."

Lowe, 35, led the Dodgers' rotation last season, going 14-11 with a 3.24. He's a sinkerball pitcher, which would suit him well in Citizens Bank Park, and he has said he'd like to return to the East Coast after spending the past four years in LA.

But I wouldn't get your hopes up about Lowe just yet. He has multiple suitors, and if the Yankees are unable to lure CC Sabathia to New York, they likely will make an aggressive play for Lowe, too. Lowe is represented by Scott Boras, and if we know anything about Boras, he won't allow his client to sign with anyone until he's certain he can't get a better deal. And Amaro intends to follow the Pat Gillick example and not sign free-agent pitchers to lengthy (more than three-year) contracts. Lowe could command that sort of contract, depending on demand from other teams.

"I would be reluctant to sign pitchers for more than three years," Amaro said, "but under certain circumstances, it has to be considered."

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In other news, Amaro said Chase Utley is progressing well after having surgery on his right hip last month. Utley has been rehabilitating in Philly and is still on track to return, possibly by mid-April.

Also, the Phillies have hired Craig Colbert as their major-league advance scout and Tim Gradoville as their bullpen catcher. Colbert, 43, spent the previous 11 years in the Padres organization, the last two as the bench coach under manager Bud Black. Gradoville, 28, spent the past seven seasons as a catcher in the Phillies' minor-league system.

More in a bit.

(Photo: Getty Images)