Cubs send Eyre to Phillies for Schlitter

CHICAGO -- Scott Eyre was driving his RV from Chicago to his Florida home on Thursday, and was about five hours away from his destination when he got the news that he had to go back to work.

The Cubs traded the left-handed pitcher to the Philadelphia Phillies for Minor League right-handed pitcher Brian Schlitter, a resident of Park Ridge, Ill., who graduated from Maine South High School.

Schlitter, 22, a 16th-round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, will report to Class A Advanced Daytona. He went 4-3 with six saves and a 2.22 ERA in 34 relief appearances for Class A Advanced Clearwater this year.

The right-hander has limited opponents to a .213 batting average, including a .211 mark by right-handed hitters and a .216 mark by left-handers. Schlitter struck out 58 batters in 48 2/3 innings, an average of 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Cubs had designated Eyre for assignment on Tuesday, giving the team seven days to trade him before he became a free agent. On Wednesday, he packed up his family in his RV and headed to his home in Bradenton, Fla.

"It's a fresh start," Eyre said.

He got the phone call with the news of the deal just before the family reached Valdosta, Ga.

"I asked how their bullpen was, and if they were just looking for guys, and they said, 'No, we think you can still pitch,'" said Eyre, who will join the Phillies on Friday. "I said, 'Great, I'm ready to go.'"

Eyre, 36, was on the disabled list twice this season, and went 2-0 with a 7.15 ERA for the Cubs in 19 relief appearances. The Cubs have two other lefties in the pen in Neal Cotts and Sean Marshall, and the success of rookie Jeff Samardzija and return of Kerry Wood created an overload of relievers.

The Phillies will be Eyre's fifth team. He has pitched for the White Sox, Blue Jays, Giants and Cubs.

He was designated for assignment on Aug. 5, 2002, by Toronto, claimed by the San Francisco Giants three days later and posted a 1.59 ERA in 21 appearances with the Giants, who reached the World Series that year.

"The last time this happened, I got to the World Series and lost," Eyre said. "My wife [Laura] said, 'This time, who knows?'"

He'll need the paycheck. The RV gets eight miles to the gallon, and he's spent nearly $800 filling it up for the drive from Chicago to Florida.