PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Philadelphia Phillies ace Curt Schilling has gotten his wish and is returning home.

Amid rumors and speculation the righthander would be dealt before the trade deadline, the Phillies today sent Schilling to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a blockbuster trade.

The 33-year-old Schilling was dealt for first baseman-outfielder Travis Lee, lefthander Omar Daal, righthander Vicente Padilla and lefthander Nelson Figueroa, a highly touted prospect.

After openly expressing a desire to play elsewhere, Schilling now teams with ace lefthander Randy Johnson to give Arizona a devastating 1-2 punch. The acquisition could not come at a better time for the Diamondbacks, who have gone 21-25 after winning 35 of their first 54 games.

"Knowing that I probably wasn't going to be re-signing here, we sat down and talked and it was probably the best for both parties," said Schilling, a three-time All-Star. "It was a situation that I hope both clubs will benefit from."

Arizona's staff has struggled, with veteran righthander Todd Stottlemyre sidelined with a muscle tear in his right elbow. Lefthander Brian Anderson is winless in his last six starts since June 28.

Unproven rookie Geraldo Guzman was tagged in his last start after two impressive performances and Armando Reynoso has a history of injury problems.

Schilling included the Diamondbacks as one of the teams to which he would accept a trade. He attended high school and college in Arizona.

Schilling fell out of favor in Philadelphia after ripping the team for not trying to remain competitive. He was openly critical of the Phillies, yet narrowed his trade options to certain contenders, limiting the possibilities for general manager Ed Wade to trade him.

"Every good memory I walk away from here is because of the fans, the fact that they were so respectful to me and my wife," said Schilling, whose contract runs through next season. "Picking up and moving for three months was something I was not warm to. I think it was probably something that needed to happen, as opposed to next year."

Schilling is 6-6 with a 3.91 ERA in 16 starts this year. After missing the opening month following offseason shoulder surgery, he returned a bit ahead of schedule and struggled through his first eight starts. But since June 15, he has returned to form, allowing only 14 runs over 63 innings.

During his recent hot stretch, Schilling has posted victories over Atlanta, the New York Mets and Toronto, three teams with postseason aspirations. Schilling, who also spent time with Baltimore and Houston, has a career mark of 105-89 with a 3.41 ERA in 342 games. He has a 1.69 ERA in two League Championship Series games and was 1-1 in the 1993 World Series for Philadelphia.

By adding Schilling and his $5.65 million salary, the Diamondbacks continue to show that despite being in just their third season, they will make the necessary moves to contend. Schilling and Johnson both are members of the exclusive 300-strikeout club. In fact, Schilling led the league in strikeouts in 1997 and 1998 before Johnson captured the title last season.

The Phillies are mired in last place in the National League East but received good value for their most attractive commodity. With the addition of the three arms from Arizona and the acquisition of young lefthander Bruce Chen from Atlanta on July 12, they have revamped a pitching staff that has struggled mightily this season.

In Daal, the Phillies get a 28-year-old lefthander who won 16 games last season. He has been dismal this year, going 2-10 with a 7.22 ERA. He has not won since May 25 and has come out of the bullpen in his last three appearances.

Daal, who has a career mark of 38-42 with a 4.47 ERA, joins his fifth team. After breaking in with Los Angeles in 1993, he also spent time with Montreal, Toronto and Arizona.

Figueroa is a 26-year-old righthander who has had trouble in three outings at the major league level. At Class AAA Tucson of the Pacific Coast League, he was 9-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 17 games. With the departure of Schilling and Andy Ashby, who went in the deal for Chen, Figueroa should take a regular turn in the rotation.

The best arm of the three newcomers probably belongs to Padilla, who has been dominant at times this season and could be the Phillies closer before the season is over. The 22-year-old righthander is 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA in 27 relief appearances, allowing 32 hits while striking out 30 in 35 innings.

Philadelphia also picked up first baseman-outfielder Travis Lee, one of the first significant acquisitions by the Diamondbacks in 1997, one year before they began play.

Lee, 25, was third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1998 after hitting .269 with 22 homers and 72 RBI. But he slumped miserably last season, hitting just .237 with nine homers and 50 RBI. Lee lost his starting first base job to Erubiel Durazo by midseason and was converted into an outfielder.

With Durazo hurt earlier this year, Lee had a chance to regain some of his luster but again struggled, batting .232 with eight homers and 40 RBI. He figures to necessitate another move by the Phillies, who have Rico Brogna at first base and impressive rookie Pat Burrell waiting in the wings.