ESPN Radio just reported that the Philadelphia Phillies traded Johnny Estrada to the Atlanta Braves for Kevin Millwood. Thoughts? They're intent on spending a lot of money. Ask the NY Mets about lavish free agent spending and wheeling-and-dealing and how it helps the team.
There's gotta be someone else in that trade unless the Braves are just trying to dump salary. Add Millwood to Padilla, Wolf, and Myers. That could be pretty strong.
There might be. It was just breaking news on ESPN and that was the only player mentioned from the Phillies end.
Never mind. Here's the link: PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies acquired right-hander Kevin Millwood from the Atlanta Braves for catcher Johnny Estrada on Friday. The Braves, who already lost two-time NL Cy Young award winner Tom Glavine to the New York Mets, had an excess of starting pitching after retaining Greg Maddux, and acquiring Russ Ortiz and Paul Byrd earlier this week. Atlanta also traded for left-hander Mike Hampton last month. The Phillies had missed out on their top two pitching choices this offseason. Glavine decided to sign with the New York Mets and Jamie Moyer chose to stay in Seattle. Philadelphia has already upgraded its offense by signing free agent first baseman Jim Thome and third baseman David Bell. That's all that was involved. Straight up one-for-one deal
I think the Braves will regret not keeping Millwood. He had a better year than Oritz, Hampton and Byrd. Unfortunately for them, someone had to be the odd man out once Maddux accepted arbitration.
Phillies acquire starter Millwood from Braves -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies acquired right-hander Kevin Millwood from the Atlanta Braves for catcher Johnny Estrada on Friday. The Braves, who already lost two-time NL Cy Young award winner Tom Glavine to the New York Mets, had an excess of starting pitching after retaining Greg Maddux, and acquiring Russ Ortiz and Paul Byrd earlier this week. Atlanta also traded for left-hander Mike Hampton last month. The Phillies had missed out on their top two pitching choices this offseason. Glavine decided to sign with the New York Mets and Jamie Moyer chose to stay in Seattle. Philadelphia has already upgraded its offense by signing free agent first baseman Jim Thome and third baseman David Bell.
That is complete thievery by the Phillies and within the same division! Goodness... that one might bite the Braves big time.
Salary dumping move for sure. My boys are putting a whole lot of faith in Ortiz and Byrd, because now they both have to work out big time for us to have a chance this year. To be honest, I think the days of Atlanta outspending all the other national league teams are OVER.
Atlanta looks to be a bad team next year, finaly they might not make the playoffs. Philly is getting pretty good real fast, but they are spending alot of money. I was hoping the Astros could get Millwood, maybe trade Redding, Ward, and some crap for Millwood. Oswalt Miller Millwood That would be 3 starting pichers that could get you 15 wins each.
So in effect, the Braves lost Glavine and Milwood to division rivals but replaced them with Ortiz and Hampton? I don't know if the latter two will catch on to the Atlanta style of pitching that Burkett and Liebrandt did.
Lets not get carried away here, Atlanta is FAR from a bad team. A rotation of Maddux, Hampton, Ortis, Byrd and Marquis is still pretty good. In the pen we got Homes and Lightenberg to set up Smoltz, I can live with that. On ofense our outfield of Sheffield and the Jones boys stack up to just about any other in the league. Furcal comes back at short with J.Lopez and/or this new guy Estrada catching. V.Castilla absolutely stunk up the place at third last year, and he'll probably be back. First base is also a HUGE problem. Overall I'd say we got the talent to stay with Philly and the Mets, we just don't dwarf everyone but the Yankees anymore.
Actually, I think the Braves will be really good. Hampton and Byrd will fit in quite nicely on the pitching staff and their line-up will still be solid. Millwood had a good year last year, but he has been at least as incocnsistent as Hampton in the last few years. I think the East will be a lot more competitive. I have a feeling that Glavine is going to be a bust of huge proporations, though, for the Mets. It seems to me that he has relied more and more on getting that outside called strike as his stuff has diminished. He might not get those calls outside of the mystic (and bench carping from Bobby Cox and the pitching coach Mazonne) Atlanta Braves uniform.
