The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Phillies got the starter they wanted from the team they're trying to beat in the National League East.

Right-hander Kevin Millwood was traded from Atlanta to the Phillies on Friday for catcher Johnny Estrada in a cost-cutting deal for the Braves.

Atlanta, which already lost left-hander Tom Glavine to the New York Mets, had an excess of starting pitching after retaining four-time NL Cy Young award winner Greg Maddux and acquiring Russ Ortiz and Paul Byrd earlier this week. The Braves also traded for left-hander Mike Hampton.

"We had no choice but to move payroll," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said. "We had to trade Kevin Millwood. It wasn't a pleasant thing to do, but we have a very high regard for Estrada as our catcher of the future."

Estrada, 26, spent almost all of last season at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre. He hit .279 with 11 homers and 67 RBI.

REDS: As expected, the Reds tendered contracts to their arbitration-eligible players. Pitchers Bruce Chen, Ryan Dempster, Danny Graves and Scott Williamson, third baseman Aaron Boone and catcher Jason LaRue are bound to the club for the 2003 season.

CUBS: Left-hander Shawn Estes, who finished last season with the Reds, signed a one-year, $3 million deal with Chicago.

DODGERS: Los Angeles reached an understanding with first baseman Fred McGriff on the structure of a one-year contract. McGriff hit .273 with 30 homers and 103 RBI in 146 games for the Chicago Cubs last season.

METS: New York added a big bat to go with its upgraded pitching staff, agreeing in principle to a multiyear contract with outfielder Cliff Floyd. Floyd must pass a physical today to make the deal official.

Floyd batted .288 with 28 homers and 79 RBI last season for Boston, Montreal and Florida.

Third baseman Norihiro Nakamura shunned an offer from the Mets and decided to remain in Japan, re-signing with the Kintetsu Buffaloes. Nakamura turned down a $7 million, two-year offer from New York to stay with Kintetsu, Kyodo News reported.

SHORT HOPS: Right-handed reliever Matt Herges was traded by the Montreal Expos to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two pitching prospects. Herges was 2-5 with a 4.04 ERA and six saves on 62 appearances with Montreal.

Free agent catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. signed a one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox, seven months after they traded him to the Colorado Rockies.

The New York Yankees didn't offer a contract to outfielder Shane Spencer, who batted .263 with 43 homers and 167 RBI in five seasons.

Former major-league manager Whitey Herzog, 71, was hospitalized in St. Louis in satisfactory condition and was moved out of intensive care Friday, a day after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery.

The Baltimore Orioles didn't make an offer to outfielder Chris Singleton, who hit .262 last season with nine homers and 50 RBI.

Mike Bordick signed a one-year, $1 million deal to be the Toronto Blue Jays' backup shortstop. Bordick earned $5 million last season for Baltimore, setting major-league records for most consecutive errorless chances and games by a shortstop.

The Detroit Tigers didn't offer a contract to All-Star outfielder Robert Fick. Fick batted .270 with 17 home runs and 63 RBI in 148 games last season, when he made the All-Star team for the first time.

Brad Fullmer became a free agent when the World Series champion Anaheim Angels didn't offer their primary designated hitter a contract for 2003. Fullmer hit .289 with 19 homers and 49 RBI.

The Kansas City Royals agreed to one-year contracts with second baseman Carlos Febles and outfielder Mark Quinn. Febles will receive $750,000 and Quinn will get $500,000 next season.

The St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a one-year contract with infielder Miguel Cairo, avoiding salary arbitration. Cairo batted .250 with two homers and 23 RBI during the regular season, but he hit .529 in the playoffs.

The San Francisco Giants signed left-handed pitcher Scott Eyre to a one-year contract and denied to offer contracts to five other players (right-handers Manny Aybar and Jay Witasick, lefty Aaron Fultz, and infielders Ramon Martinez and Neifi Perez).

The Florida Marlins resigned the middle of their infield, giving one-year contracts to All-Star second baseman Luis Castillo and shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Right-handed pitcher Carl Pavano also received a one-year deal, while outfielder Eric Owens wasn't offered a contract and is now a free agent.

Right-hander Charles Nagy, hoping to revive a career beset by elbow problems, signed a minor-league contract with the San Diego Padres. Nagy, 35, was 129-103 with a 4.51 ERA in 13 seasons with the Cleveland Indians.

The Houston Astros signed former Reds knuckleballer Jared Fernandez to a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training. Fernandez is 1-4 in his career, with his lone win coming at Houston last July.

The Milwaukee Brewers signed left-hander Valerio De Los Santos to a one-year deal. De Los Santos was 2-3 record with a 3.12 ERA in 51 appearances last season.

Brian Daubach became a free agent after the Boston Red Sox didn't offer him a contract for 2003, even though their first-base picture is unsettled.

The Atlanta Braves signed Julio Franco and Darren Bragg to minor-league deals and invited both of them to spring training. They didn't offer a contract to right-handed reliever Kerry Ligtenberg.

The Texas Rangers signed right-hander Danny Kolb to a $450,000 contract and catcher Todd Greene to a $750,000 deal for next season. They decided not to keep utilityman Frank Catalanotto, who will become a free agent.