Burnitz, Henderson headed to LA
07/14/2003 7:00 PM ET
Burnitz, Henderson headed to LA
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com
LOS ANGELES -- Searching for a way to improve the lowest-scoring offense in
the National League, the Dodgers on Monday acquired outfielder Jeromy Burnitz
from the New York Mets in exchange for three minor leaguers and they signed
44-year-old future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson out of an independent league.
Burnitz, 34, figures to replace left fielder Brian Jordan, who underwent
season-ending knee surgery Friday. The Dodgers hope the left-handed hitting
Burnitz, who averaged 34 home runs and 107 RBIs from 1998-2001 in Milwaukee,
will jump-start an offense that is last in the National League in runs scored.
Burnitz receives $11.75 million this year, with about $5.5 million remaining
to be paid. The Dodgers will pay $2 million of that, but will be assessed
only $500,000 for luxury tax purposes because of the contract's structure
and will remain more than $2 million under the $117 million luxury tax
threshold, which leaves general manager Dan Evans room for further
maneuvering. The Mets will pay $3.5 million, plus $500,000 for a clause
triggered by the trade. Burnitz can be a free agent after this season.
Henderson, baseball's all-time leader in runs scored, stolen bases and walks
but unable to land a Major League job this year, was hitting .339 with a .493
on-base percentage and a .591 slugging percentage for the Newark Bears of the
Atlantic League. This will be the 10-time All-Star's ninth team and 25th
Major-League season.
He is generally regarded as the best leadoff hitter in history, combining the
speed and base-running savvy to steal 1,403 bases with the power to hit 295
home runs.
Burnitz, an All-Star in 1999, has 18 home runs and 54 RBIs for the Mets while
batting .274 this year, despite missing 25 games with a broken hand. He
rebounded from a difficult first season in New York when he had 19 home runs
and 54 RBIs while batting only .215.
Evans said he is confident the moves will bolster the club's offense.
"Jeromy and Rickey will make us better," Evans said. "We get a solid
run-producer in the middle of the lineup and one of the game's greatest
players. They can only make us better."
Evans said Burnitz can play all three outfield positions, implying that he
might see time in center field with Dave Roberts still disabled.
"One thing we heard from everyone is that Jeromy plays hard all the time,
and that's an attribute that cannot be denied," said Evans.
He said Henderson is viewed as a bench player and has embraced that role.
"He's been playing exceptionally well," Evans said of Henderson, who was
scouted this week by top advisor Don Welke. "We only want these players to
contribute on their level, nothing unrealistic."
Burnitz welcomed a deal taking him from a losing situation to a contender
near his home.
"I feel great just to have the opportunity," Burnitz said. "It's a situation
I've never been in and I'm looking forward to contributing to a contender.
I'm not really concerned about any adjustment period whatsoever. I'm looking
forward to jumping into that lineup and executing the plan I've been using
from my first pitch in a Dodger uniform. I'm just going to carry it into that
first pitch I see, put a good swing on it and hope for good results."
Burnitz, who lives in San Diego, was also excited because the move will
afford him the opportunity to spend more time with his family. Yet, he
admits that he will miss New York because of what he learned last season
when he struggled to a .215 batting average with 19 homers and 54 RBIs.
"It's hard for me to get real specific but I wouldn't trade my experience in
New York for anything," Burnitz said. "It gave me something inside. My
personal experience there is tough for me to define. I wasn't part of a
contending team but they are the organization that drafted me.
"And with last year's struggles, I felt as bad as anyone. But to be able to
come back and execute my job in way that has been productive for the team has
been great. When you're struggling there, there's no hiding from anything in
New York. To be exposed in a way through struggles, the whole experience gave
me a lot inside and I wouldn't trade it for the world."
The Dodgers will send New York second baseman Victor Diaz, hitting .291 with
54 RBI in 86 games at Double-A Jacksonville; right-handed pitcher Joselo Diaz,
1-0 in only four games at Jacksonville after going 5-2 with a save and a
3.50 ERA in 15 games earlier this season for Class A Vero Beach; and
right-handed pitcher Kole Strayhorn, who is 5-2 with a 2.93 ERA and nine
saves at Single-A Vero Beach.
A key aspect of the trade for the third-place Dodgers, who trail San Francisco
by 7 1/2 games at the All-Star Break, is the addition of a bat without
costing a Major League arm (the Dodger pitching staff has the lowest ERA in
the Major Leagues) or prime prospects such as Franklin Gutierrez or Edwin
Jackson.
"The core of our prospects is not harmed on this one," said Evans. "We improve
without mortgaging the future. We have an opportunity to be a better club in
'03 and still keep the players we really think are the nucleus for '04 and
beyond."
The deal for the Mets was a continuation of payroll shedding that started
last month with the trade of second baseman Roberto Alomar to the Chicago
White Sox.
The Dodgers must clear space on both their 40-man and 25-man rosters for the
two new players. Larry Barnes, Chin-Feng Chen, Alfredo Gonzalez and Jose Diaz
are prime candidates for demotion.
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