In terms of starting pitchers, the only real names that have been discussed thus far have been Dempster, Peavy, and to a certain extent Randy Johnson.  But I want to bring another name to the discussion -- Derek Lowe.  I don't know what his preferences are, so this may be moot, but I think it's at least worth talking about.  

During his last four years in LA, he has been a consistently good pitcher, and has stayed healthy too (no fewer than 32 starts since becoming a starter in '02).  He's coming off his best season in years (3.24 ERA, 1.133 WHIP) and had three solid years prior to '08 (ERA never above 3.88, WHIP never above 1.269).  He doesn't walk many people either, so that should make Lou like him in and of itself.  

The only negative against Lowe that I can see is that he's on the older side (he'll turn 36 in June), but since he became a starter in 2002, he's remained healthy that whole time.  And his numbers have been very consistent the last four years, so I'm not sure if the age should be too big of a concern. I figure he'll get Dempster money, but for fewer years due to his age.  Am I missing something here?  Why not Derek Lowe?