Red Sox Deal Smith, Get Brunansky

The Boston Red Sox acquired outfielder Tom Brunansky from the St. Louis Cardinals Friday for pitcher Lee Smith.

The deal climaxed several weeks of talks as the Red Sox tried to trade Smith for either a starting pitcher or a power hitter and the Cardinals sought a closer to replace disabled Todd Worrell.

Boston General Manager Lou Gorman has been trying to trade Smith for what he considers equal talent since the Red Sox signed pitcher Jeff Reardon as a free agent for $6.8 million for three years on Dec. 6. With Reardon and Smith, Boston had two right-handed closers in the bullpen.

Smith, in the last year of a contract signed after he was obtained from the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 8, 1987, had threatened to leave the Red Sox at the end of the season if he was not traded.

Brunansky, 29, batted .158 in 19 games, with one home run and two runs batted in this season. He has a total of 209 homers in 1,247 games with the Angels, the Minnesota Twins and the Cardinals, and had 20 or more homers in each of the previous eight seasons.

Brunansky has fared well at Fenway Park, batting .302 in 32 games with 10 homers and 21 RBIs.

Smith, 32, is 2-1 this season with four saves and a 1.89 earned-run average in 11 games. Acquired from the Chicago Cubs, he had a 12-7 record with 58 saves in two-plus seasons with the Red Sox, and has 238 saves.