2003: Twins and Phillies Make a Deal

December 3, 2003 After winning their second consecutive AL Central title, the offseason priority for the Twins was, by many accounts, to make salary room in order to keep closer Eddie Guardado and left fielder Shannon Stewart. Among the players that became expendable was AJ Pierzynski, who was traded to San Francisco in what became Terry Ryan’s most famous trade. A few weeks later Ryan made another deal that would have almost as much impact for the future of the Twins. Though Eric Milton had missed most of the 2003 season due to a longer-than-expected recovery from knee surgery, he had been the centerpiece of the Twins’ rotation for the past few years. He was thought of as an established, veteran starter – one that might fetch a decent return on the trade market. The deal was announced on December 3. Aaron Gleeman’s intial reaction reflected what many were thinking – Milton’s injury-proneness made his salary an unnecessary risk for the small marke...