LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Dodgers closed in on a contract Friday with postseason hero Derek Lowe worth about $36 million over four years, and finalized their deal to keep left-hander Odalis Perez.

“I can’t comment yet – saying yes or saying no,” Lowe said from his home in Fort Myers, Fla., when asked about a possible future with the Dodgers.

Los Angeles was holding off finalizing a contract with Lowe, wanting to first complete a deal that would send Shawn Green to Arizona, a lawyer involved in those talks said on condition of anonymity.

Green, who is due to earn $16 million this season, did not reach an agreement with the Diamondbacks on a contract extension before Thursday’s deadline, but Arizona is now negotiating with him through the Dodgers, several baseball officials said.

Lowe was 14-12 with a 5.42 ERA in 33 starts with Boston last season. But he was 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA in four games during the postseason, three of them starts. He was the winner in the final game of all three postseason series – against the Angels, Yankees and Cardinals – as the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years.

About the possibility of pitching for the Dodgers, Lowe said: “They won their division last year. Any time you can go to a team that has won, or has a chance to win, it definitely would be a good situation.”

Lowe said he was disappointed the Red Sox never made him an offer to return, but added: “I knew it was heading down that path late in the season. You realize that it’s a business. It was definitely an enjoyable place to play. I have nothing but good things and positive things to say about playing there. They gave me my first chance in the big leagues.”

Lowe said he didn’t consider the future during the postseason, even though he realized his time with the Red Sox was about to be over.

“You kind of put all that aside,” he said. “We had such a talented team, there’s no sense worrying about next year when we knew we had a chance to do something pretty special.”

And Lowe did just that by wrapping up every series.

“It was a good way to finish the year, no doubt about that,” he said.

A 31-year-old right-hander, Lowe has a 72-59 career record with 85 saves. He has pitched for Boston since being traded to the Red Sox by Seattle along with catcher Jason Varitek for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb in 1997.

Perez, who agreed to his $24 million, three-year deal earlier in the week, passed a physical Friday. The Dodgers have a club option for 2008 with the 27-year-old left-hander.

He was 7-6 with a 3.25 ERA in 31 starts last season, helping Los Angeles reach the playoffs for the first time since 1996. He led the majors with 18 no-decisions and had the worst run support among NL starters at 3.30 runs per nine innings.

Perez ranked sixth in the NL, allowing just 10.27 walks and hits per nine innings. He was third among left-handers, behind Randy Johnson and David Wells. Perez allowed three earned runs or less in 26 of his 31 starts.

Perez struggled in two starts in the Dodgers’ NL division series against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing five hits and six runs in 2 2-3 innings of St. Louis’ 8-3 victory in Game 1 and three hits, five walks and two runs in 2 1-3 of the Cardinals’ 6-2 win in Game 4.

The Dodgers acquired Perez from the Atlanta Braves three years ago. He was 15-10 with a 3.00 ERA in 2002, when he made the NL All-Star team, and 12-12 with a 4.52 ERA in 2003.

In 145 career big-league games, all but 19 of them starts, Perez is 45-43 with a 4.00 ERA.

“Odalis is one of the top young left-handers in the game and we’re very pleased that he’ll continue to be a staple in our rotation for years to come,” Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said in a statement issued by the team.

Keeping Perez gives the Dodgers a reliable starter in a rotation filled with uncertainty. He joins right-handers Jeff Weaver, Brad Penny and Edwin Jackson and possibly Lowe, along with left-hander Kaz Ishii as potential starters.

Among free agent pitchers who have signed multiyear deals this offseason, only Pedro Martinez (2.71) and Orlando Hernandez (3.96) have a lower career ERA than Perez.

Perez has pitched 185 or more innings in each of his three seasons with the Dodgers including a career-high 222 1-3 innings in 2002.

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AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report

AP-ES-01-07-05 2054EST