By Jim Callis
December 3, 2003

For the second time this offseason, the Phillies have taken an expensive lefthander off the hands of a club looking to reduce salary. After getting Billy Wagner from the Astros a month ago, Philadelphia picked up Eric Milton from the Twins on Wednesday in exchange for Carlos Silva, Nick Punto and a player to be named later.

Signing players to long-term contracts that ran through their latter arbitration and early free-agent years used to be in vogue, but in today's age of market correction, those deals often wreck budgets. After pitching in just three games in 2003 because of a knee injury, Milton will make $9 million in 2004, the end of his four-year, $21 million contract. His addition makes it unlikely that Philadelphia will re-sign free agent Kevin Millwood.

Minnesota previously trimmed its 2004 payroll by sending arbitration-eligible all-star A.J. Pierzynski to the Giants in mid-November.

Milton, 28, won 41 games from 2000-02 before encountering problems with his left knee. He had surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus in August 2002, then hurt the knee again during offseason workouts and required arthroscopic surgery in March. He didn't return until mid-September, going 1-0, 2.65 in three starts. Milton has good stuff, featuring a low-90s fastball, a slider, curveball and changeup. But his location is inconsistent, so he gets hit more than he should. He has a career 57-51, 4.76 record in 166 games, with 715 strikeouts and 269 walks in 987 innings. Opponents have batted .259 with 149 homers against him.

Silva, 24, has pitched decently in middle relief for the Phillies during the last two seasons. He went 3-1, 4.43 with one save in 62 games this year. For a guy with a mid-90s fastball, he doesn't miss many bats. That's because his heater lacks life, and neither his curveball nor his changeup is a put-away pitch. Opponents hit .280 with seven homers, and he had a mediocre 48-37 strikeout-walk ratio in 87 innings. His career record is 8-1, 3.83 with two saves in 130 appearances. Silva can help the Twins make up for the loss of free-agent reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who signed with the Cubs earlier on Wednesday.

Punto, 26, signed as a 21st-round pick out of Saddleback (Calif.) JC in 1998. The Triple-A International League's all-star shortstop in 2002, he got his first extended stint in the majors in 2003. Punto hit .217/.273/.272 with one homer and four RBIs in 64 games (92 at-bats). He saw time at second base, third base and shortstop. He doesn't offer much more than some on-base skills and versatility and is a utilityman at best.

Dec. 17 update: The Twins got righthander Bobby Korecky to complete the deal. Korecky, 24, was a 19th-round pick in 2002 out of the University of Michigan, where he was a three-time all-Big Ten Conference selection. He led the high Class A Florida State League and the Phillies system with 25 saves this year, when he went 5-4, 2.26 in 49 games at Clearwater. In 60 innings, he had a sterling 46-9 K-BB ratio and limited opponents to a .236 average and three homers. Korecky has a good closer's makeup, an average fastball that reaches 93 mph on occasion, and the ability to pitch to all four quadrants of the strike zone. His three-quarters arm slot helps his two-plane, sweeping breaking ball, and he also has a changeup that's just a show-me pitch.