Dodgers add Milton to pitching mix
Left-hander signs Minor League deal to compete for spot
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers, seemingly collecting veteran pitchers on the eve of Spring Training, signed Eric Milton to a Minor League contract Tuesday to join the competition for the fifth starter spot or the bullpen.
Milton, a 10-year veteran, will receive $650,000 if he makes the club with another $1.05 million in starter incentives or $150,000 in relief incentives.

A left-hander, Milton has missed the past 1 1/2 seasons recovering from Tommy John elbow reconstruction. The 33-year-old has an 87-84 career record and was an All-Star with Minnesota in 2001, when he went 15-7. He signed a three-year, $25.5 million with the Reds before the 2005 season but went 16-27 from 2005-07. Milton will initially compete for the fifth spot with Jason Schmidt, Eric Stults, Claudio Vargas, Ramon Troncoso and Shawn Estes.

The signing comes one day after the Dodgers signed veteran Jeff Weaver to compete for a bullpen spot and less than a week after signing Randy Wolf to join the rotation.