The Atlanta Braves reached a preliminary agreement yesterday 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, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been completed.

Atlanta did finalize 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 get back to being a pitching-(oriented) team,” Wren said. “If we can do another couple of moves, we can get back to that.”

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.

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.

ROUNDUP

HOFFMAN DEAL OFFICIAL: Career saves leader Trevor Hoffman and the Milwaukee Brewers announced their $6-million, one-year deal yesterday after the reliever passed a physical. The 41-year-old righty, who had pitched for San Diego since 1993, has 554 saves in 930 relief appearances over his 16-year career.

ORIOLES LAND UEHARA: Right-hander Koji Uehara finalized a $10-million, two-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles yesterday, making him the first Japanese-born player in franchise history.

GIBBONS TO MARLINS: Former major-league outfielder Jay Gibbons was among eight free agents who agreed to minor-league contracts with the Florida Marlins.

PARK TO MISS CLASSIC: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Chan Ho Park will miss the World Baseball Classic after quitting South Korea’s national team. Park, who finalized a $2.5-million, one-year contract with the Phillies last week, said yesterday he needed to focus on trying to become a starter for the World Series champions.

PRESTON GOMEZ, 85: Preston Gomez, who managed the expansion San Diego Padres and later guided the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs during a six-decade career in baseball, died yesterday. He was 85. Gomez died in Fullerton, Calif. He never fully recovered from head injuries he suffered last March when he was hit by a pickup truck while walking to his car in Blythe, Calif.