Butler Signed; Brooks Traded for Mets’ Ojeda : Dodgers: Deals solidify the outfield situation and provide a left-handed pitcher who can either start or work in relief.

The Dodgers solved their outfield problem as quickly as they created it Saturday night, trading Hubie Brooks to the New York Mets for left-handed pitcher Bob Ojeda and pitching prospect Greg Hansell.

The trade was completed hours after the Dodgers officially announced the acquisition of free agent outfielder Brett Butler, who will play center field. Darryl Strawberry will play in right field, where Brooks played for the Dodgers last year.

The trade also means that Kal Daniels, who many thought would be traded, will remain in left field.

Ojeda gives the Dodgers much help in a questionable starting rotation, and could also serve as an emergency left-hander in the bullpen, an area that also worried the Dodgers.

Ojeda, 32, was 7-6 with a 3.66 earned-run average for the Mets last season in 38 games, including 12 starts. He held left-handed batters to a .168 average. In parts of 11 major league seasons, he is 95-79 with a 3.65 ERA.

Hansell, 19, a former 12th-round draft pick from La Palma Kennedy High in Orange County, is a right-hander who spent last season in Class A. He was 7-10 with a 3.60 ERA for Winter Haven of the Boston organization, then was traded to the Mets and went 2-4 with a 2.61 ERA for St. Lucie.

Brooks, who was signed by the Dodgers last winter as a free agent, provided leadership to the team in addition to his 20 homers and 91 runs batted in. When Butler was acquired, however, Brooks suspected his days as a Dodger were numbered.

“It does look like I’ve lost a job,” Brooks said after hearing of Butler’s signing. “I do feel like the odd man out.”