Eaton signs with Phillies

November 28, 200619 yr

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Phils, Eaton work out three-year pact

Former Phillies first-round pick fifth member of '07 rotation

By Ken Mandel / MLB.com

Right-handed starter Adam Eaton was drafted by the Phillies in 1996, but was traded to the Padres before he pitched for Philadelphia.

Nearly 11 years after being selected by the Phillies in the first round of the 1996 First-Year Player Draft, Adam Eaton will finally pitch for Philadelphia.

The veteran right-hander has reached a preliminary agreement on a three-year contract with the Phillies with a mutual fourth-year option, multiple baseball sources have confirmed.

The Phillies declined to comment on the pact, which will become official as soon as the pitcher passes a physical, and could be announced later this week. One Phillies official described the deal as "close." ESPN.com reported the deal to be worth $24 million for the first three seasons, and the fourth year could bring the overall package to more than $33 million.

Eaton replaces Randy Wolf -- who is expected to join the Dodgers -- and fills out a starting rotation of Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jon Lieber and Jamie Moyer. Eaton is the third offseason signing for Philadelphia, who also retained Moyer and added infielder Wes Helms with a two-year, $5.45 million deal.

Eaton, 29, was taken as the 11th overall choice in the 1996 draft, then became the key to a four-player trade in 1999 trade that brought San Diego pitcher Andy Ashby to Philadelphia. Eaton debuted the next season at age 22 and made 22 starts.

Overall, he is 54-45 with a 4.40 ERA in parts of seven seasons with San Diego and Texas.

While Eaton has always been high on potential, he's had trouble staying healthy, and 2006 was no exception. A finger injury limited him to 65 innings with Texas, who acquired him the previous winter. His best season, statistically, came in 2003, when he posted a 4.08 ERA in 183 innings, allowing 173 hits and 68 walks.

The Phillies had been interested in Eaton since the start of the offseason and figured he could be a lower-cost alternative to top-tier names Barry Zito and Jason Schmidt.