Carlos Silva came up through the Phillies’ farm system, switching to relief for his big league debut. He remained an innings-eating reliever throughout his Phillies tenure, though his hittable, low strikeout style was not suited to the pen.
In December of ’03 the Phils sent Silva and Nick Punto over to the Twins for Eric Milton. The following season he racked up 14 wins as a starter. His pinpoint control has made him a very credible back-rotation guy, aside from a rough ’06.
Joining Silva in the under-30 starting pitcher free agent class will be Jason Jennings, Joe Kennedy, Byung-Hyun Kim, Kyle Lohse, and Joel Pineiro. Silva’s the most reliable choice, and he might be able to snag a four-year pact given the weak market. He’s having a well-timed fine year with a 4.10 ERA in 164.2 innings.
The Phillies have been looking to reacquire Silva for some time now; I believe they had interest last winter after the Twins exercised his $4MM option. Now La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes of Philadelphia’s continued interest. The Phils inquired before the July 31 deadline, and would still like to acquire Silva. Neal believes he has not yet been placed on waivers and would not clear them. It seems that Terry Ryan missed his chance to extract strong trade value for Silva, though he may have fielded offers and found two draft picks preferable.
I can’t see Silva getting to the Phillies without the Braves, Dodgers, Rockies, Tigers, and Mariners first putting in a claim.
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