By Jim Callis
December 20, 2002

In a shocking trade, the Braves sent Kevin Millwood to the Phillies for Johnny Estrada on Friday. Millwood immediately became the No. 1 starter on the team most likely to challenge Atlanta in the National League East.

Millwood, a 27-year-old righthander, bounced back from a pair of mediocre seasons to go 18-8, 3.24 with 178 strikeouts and 65 walks in 217 innings during 2002. He had been bothered by shoulder problems in 2000-01 after winning a total of 35 games in the 1988-99, but was fully healthy again this year. He throws a heavy fastball in the low 90s, an outstanding curveball, a changeup and a slider. After making $3.9 million in 2002, he's projected to earn $10 million in 2003 via arbitration, which prompted the decision to trade him. In six big league seasons, Millwood has a 75-46, 3.73 record in 168 games and 840 strikeouts in 1,004 innings.

Estrada, 26, is a defensive-minded catcher. He spent most of 2002 at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he batted .279-11-67 in 128 games, and went 2-for-17 in a brief stint with the Phillies. In 99 major league games the last two years, he has batted .222-8-39. He has some gap power, but rarely walks and projects as a backup rather than as a starter. Estrada has solid average defensive skills, with his game-calling ability his strongest suit. He threw out 27 percent of basestealers in Triple-A.

Braves general manager John Schuerholz told ESPN that when Greg Maddux accepted arbitration, his team had a budget crunch that necessitated trading Millwood. "The economics in baseball stink," Schuerholz said. "The economics stink, and if this isn't a clear enough signal to the doubters and naysayers, to be forced to trade an 18-game winner to your arch enemy . . . The economics stink."

Schuerholz can decry the state of baseball all he wants, but the truth is he did a lousy job of anticipating his 2003 payroll. It was no secret that Maddux might accept arbitration, where he could command a 2003 salary of $15 million or more. In the previous three days, the Braves traded for Russ Ortiz (which added roughly $4 million to their 2003 payroll) and signed free agent Paul Byrd ($3 million). Rather than improve a fellow NL East contender, Atlanta should have passed on Ortiz and Byrd and held onto Millwood and Damian Moss (who was part of the Ortiz deal). And if going to arbitration with Maddux would blow up the Braves' budget, why run that risk?

Schuerholz told ESPN that he tried to send Millwood to another team, but couldn't find any takers. "No one was willing to take the $10 million this season," Schuerholz said. "Only one team wanted to, and it was the team he was ultimately traded to. As late as 15 minutes before the deal was finalized, I was on the phone and not one team was willing to move."

But why the rush? Why not wait it out and see if something else could be done? Why not demand a better return on Millwood? And why let it come to this? If Philadelphia surpasses Atlanta in 2003, the Braves will be asking those questions again and again.