Spoljaric Traded To Jays

May 5, 1999 / 8:29 PM EDT / AP

When the Philadelphia Phillies acquired left-hander Paul Spoljaric from Seattle last November, they heard almost immediately from the Blue Jays.

On Wednesday, they finally struck another deal.

"Shortly after we traded for him, Toronto called us," Phillies general manager Ed Wade said after the trade for reliever Robert Person. "Things really heated up last week."

Spoljaric, 28, struggled in all three of his starts this season, going 0-3 with a 21.13 ERA. He has a 15.09 ERA overall, including one relief appearance.

"Maybe we overevaluated or overprojected him," Wade said. "We tried to get something out of him and it just didn't work out."

Person, a 29-year-old right-hander, also struggled, going 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA in 11 games. Since the start of the season, Person has gone from being the closer to a reliever that Toronto manager Jim Fregosi couldn't trust in clutch situations.

"I feel bitter about the fact that I didn't get a chance to mess up as a closer," Person said. "I just didn't do well when I wasn't the closer."

On Tuesday night, he gave up five earned runs in just three innings against Oakland.

"I would have just liked him to be the setup man for us, but he wasn't throwing enough strikes," Fregosi said. "There were a couple times on Tuesday night where he missed the catcher by three feet!"

He may get a chance to finish games for the Phillies, who lost closer Jeff Brantley last week to what could be a season-ending shoulder injury.

"We like his arm," Wade said. "At the end of last year, he closed some games for the Blue Jays, and he's a guy we can put into the mix with the rest of our relievers. We thought it was a chance worth taking."

For Spoljaric, the trade brings him back to Canada. He is a native of British Columbia and his wife is from Toronto.

He began his career with the Blue Jays, pitching parts of three seasons there before being traded to Seattle in the Jose Cruz Jr. deal.

"Going back to the Cruz deal, he was the make or break guy and we we're reluctant to part with him," Ash said. "He plays better where he's more comfortable, and I don't think he ever felt comfortable in Seattle, and obviously he hasn't gotten off to a good start in the National League."

Fregosi said Spoljaric will work in long relief. Asked if he can live with a closer by a committee bullpen, Fregosi said: "As of right now yes, but ask me in a week."

On Tuesday, Fregosi brought up the possibility of moving starter Kelvim Escobar from the starting rotation to the closer's role.

"It is something that has been talked about since spring training," Fregosi said. "Personally, I would rather have him as a starter, but you never know. It may become a necessity."

To fill Spoljaric's spot in the starting rotation Philadelphia, purchased the cntract of right-hander Joel Bennett, who will get his first major league start on Saturday against Colorado.

To make room on the roster, Philadelphia optioned right-hander Steve Montgomery to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre of the International League.