Report: Lowe gets an offer from Mets

The Mets offered free agent righthander Derek Lowe a three-year contract for about $36 million yesterday, according to a report in the New York Times citing people who have been briefed on the discussions. Agent Scott Boras would not comment about the Mets' offer to Lowe. But he said, "Obviously, we've taken offers from a number of teams." Boras also said he was still talking to teams and was in the process of establishing Lowe's value. Lowe is believed to be seeking a five-year, $90 million deal . . . The Blue Jays signed lefthander Mike Maroth, who gained notoriety in 2003 when he lost 21 games with the Tigers, to a minor league contract. The 31-year-old is 50-67 with a 5.05 ERA in six seasons with the Tigers and Cardinals. The team also gave minor league deals to catchers Michael Barrett and Raul Chavez, and infielder Randy Ruiz . . . Catcher Chris Snyder and the Diamondbacks reached agreement on a three-year contract. The deal includes a club option for 2012. The 27-year-old hit .237 this year, and his 16 home runs were a record for a Diamondbacks catcher.

The Houston Rockets re-signed 42-year-old center Dikembe Mutombo for the remainder of the season, adding an emotional leader and a backup to Yao Ming. Mutombo, who supplants Sam Cassell, the Celtics' 39-year-old guard, as the league's oldest player, appeared in 39 games for Houston last season, logging most of his minutes after Yao broke his left foot in February. Mutombo averaged 5 rebounds, 3 points, and 1.2 blocks. He became a free agent after last season and contemplated retirement before deciding to come back for an 18th season . . . Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, who has missed 21 straight games because of a strained quad tendon, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Team doctors said the surgery likely wouldn't occur until Jan. 9 . . . The Nets declined to match Oklahoma City's offer sheet to former first-round pick Nenad Krstic, giving the Thunder a 7-footer in their search for a reliable center. . . . Connecticut freshman women's center Heather Buck is out for the season, recovering from mononucleosis. By taking a medical redshirt, Buck retains four years of eligibility.

Quarterback Robert Marve is leaving Miami, ending weeks of speculation about his future and adding to the tumultuous start of the Hurricanes' offseason. Marve started 11 of 13 games for the Hurricanes, but also served a pair of suspensions, including one that kept him out of the Emerald Bowl. He asked coach Randy Shannon for his release from the program, and hours later, the school announced Marve was leaving. "I had to get out," Marve told the Associated Press from his family's home in Tampa. "I just decided that I can't play for coach Shannon." The release comes with conditions that don't sit well with Marve. He can't play for teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Southeastern Conference or the state of Florida. It's not unusual for programs to place restrictions on the deal when a marquee player transfers. Marve said he will try to fight to soften the terms of the release . . . The Alabama attorney general's office is reviewing reports of alleged contact between Crimson Tide offensive tackle Andre Smith and a sports agent after the All-American was suspended from the Sugar Bowl. Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban suspended the Outland Trophy winner Monday for violation of unspecified team rules, but several media outlets reported that the punishment stemmed from improper dealings with an agent . . . Auburn defensive lineman Sen'Derrick Marks says he will skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Marks was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference pick by coaches this season after making 32 tackles, including 10 for loss.

The World Boxing Association is reviewing Nikolai Valuev's win over Evander Holyfield by majority decision in a Dec. 20 heavyweight title bout in Zurich. The organization announced on its website it has ordered a panel of judges to study a video of the fight. One judged scored the bout a draw while the others had Valuev winning, 116-112 and 115-114. The 46-year-old Holyfield was attempting to become the oldest heavyweight to win a major belt. The 7-foot Valuev is the tallest and heaviest champion . . . Revolution midfielder Mauricio Castro has been called up to the Honduras national team for training camp. The 27-year-old midfielder recorded a goal and three assists for the Revolution this year, his first with the team . . . Bulgarian sprinter Tezdjan Naimova received a two-year suspension for a doping offense. Naimova won the 100- and 200-meter races at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing. The Bulgarian Athletics Federation imposed the ban and said the 21-year-old runner admitted manipulating a doping test . . . University of New Hampshire's James van Riemsdyk had a goal and two assists as the United States coasted into the world junior hockey championship playoffs with a 12-0 rout of Kazakhstan in Ottawa. The US will play Canada in a matchup of 3-0-0 teams today with the top spot in Group A on the line.