Baseball Takes It Out in Trade : Dodgers Put Benzinger on First : Baseball: They get switch-hitter from the Royals for Chris Gwynn and Domingo Mota.

Raising more questions than hope, the Dodgers ended their search for a first baseman Wednesday by acquiring Todd Benzinger from the Kansas City Royals for outfielder Chris Gwynn and second base prospect Domingo Mota.

The vacancy created by Eddie Murray will be filled by Benzinger and rookie Eric Karros, who will combine to anchor an infield that could have three starters with less than one year of experience.

“Todd is a perfect fit--I think we have set our ballclub for the 1992 season,” said Fred Claire, Dodger vice president. “We can compete and win with this club.”

Others were not so optimistic.

“Benzinger is a good acquisition--he’s got some ability defensively--and Lenny Harris will be solid at second base,” reliever Tim Crews said. “But I don’t think Jose Offerman is ready at shortstop. As a pitcher, I don’t feel comfortable with him behind me.

“And I don’t think Dave Hansen will play all the time at third base because he is another left-handed bat. That leaves Jeff Hamilton, and if he has a wimpy attitude like he has had in the past, we’re in deep trouble.

“Right now, we’re at 10% less than last year.”

The Dodgers consider Benzinger, who is joining his fourth team in five years, an important part of that disjointed mix. He will be charged with giving Karros time to develop.

Benzinger, 28, was forced out of starting jobs with the Cincinnati Reds, by Hal Morris, and the Royals, by Wally Joyner. The Dodgers hope he can play as their regular first baseman if Karros is not ready, or as a platoon player with Karros.

“He will certainly solidify the infield because he is one of the best defensive first basemen I have ever been associated with,” said Eric Davis, also a teammate of Benzinger’s when they were with Cincinnati. “He is going to save a lot of people a lot of errors.”

Benzinger, a switch-hitter who bats better left-handed, has a career .255 average. He has averaged 10 home runs and 72 runs batted in during his four full major league seasons.

“This will give us some breathing room,” Claire said. “Eric Karros can compete for the first base job, and the weight of the world will not be on his shoulders.”

The trade came one day after Gwynn, 27, was anointed as the leading first-base candidate if such a deal were not made.

“We were sincere about Chris playing first base, but he would have to learn how to do it, and Todd is someone who already knows,” said Claire, who added that Benzinger is more versatile than Gwynn because he can play in the outfield.

After spending parts of the last five seasons on the Dodger bench, Gwynn, a first-round choice in the 1985 draft, asked for a trade earlier this winter. He hit .252 in 139 at-bats last season, mostly as a pinch-hitter, with five home runs and 22 runs batted in.

Unlike Wally Joyner, who cried when he went to the Royals several days ago, Gwynn laughed.

“I’m outta here!” said Gwynn. “I had no chance to play with the Dodgers. I had been passed over for a few years. Either I was invisible, or the Dodgers didn’t think I could do the job.

“I’m just glad Fred had enough--I don’t know what the word is--to trade me.”

Benzinger was just as pleased to be leaving the Royals, although he acknowledged that it will take time adjusting to the Dodgers.

After all, he has spent much of his adult life rooting against them.

“I grew up in Cincinnati hoping the Dodgers would lose to the Reds every game they played,” Benzinger said. “I grew up hating the Dodgers, and when I became a member of the Reds, it intensified.

“But I am going to approach this like I approached Kansas City last year. I will have no preconceptions that will mess up my head.”

Benzinger, who was once dubbed by Ted Williams as one of the best hitting prospects in Boston Red Sox history, plays well when he plays often. The only time he has been a starter for a full season, with the Reds in 1989, he hit a personal-best 17 homers with 76 RBIs.

“But given the situation in Kansas City, with Wally Joyner being signed . . . Los Angeles is a good move for me regardless of what happens at first base,” Benzinger said. “Platooning is better than not playing at all. I’m not in a position to demand anything or expect anything.”

Benzinger has a reputation for being one of baseball’s most intelligent and personable athletes. But his emotionless demeanor on the field and civilized conversation in the clubhouse sometimes irritated former managers, particularly those who like dirty mouths and uniforms.

“Todd is quiet, he doesn’t show any emotion, and a lot of people don’t understand him,” said Harris, also a teammate of Benzinger’s with the Reds. “But you have to realize all people in this game are not the same. The guy plays hard, and that’s all that matters.”

Said Benzinger: “If I lend anything to a team, it will be a little stability.”

The Dodgers are hoping more stability will arrive next week when pitcher Jay Howell and infielder Juan Samuel must decide whether to accept the club’s offers of arbitration.

The team has also reportedly contacted free-agent infielder Dave Anderson, who played with the Dodgers in 1983-89.

That appears to be the only suspense remaining this winter. One other impending move will be a predictable one--Claire is determined to trade outfielder Kal Daniels somewhere, anywhere, as soon as possible. “People know where we are if they want a premium hitter,” Claire said.

Mota, son of Dodger instructor Manny Mota, hit .275 last year for Class-A Bakersfield.

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Dodger-Royal Trade

Career statistics for the primary players involved in Wednesday’s trade in which the Dodgers sent Chris Gwynn to the Kansas City Royals for Todd Benzinger. TODD BENZINGER

YEAR TEAM AB R H HR RBI AVG. 1987 Bos 223 36 62 8 43 .278 1988 Bos 405 47 103 13 70 .254 1989 Cin 628 79 154 17 76 .245 1990 Cin 376 35 95 5 46 .253 1991 Cin 123 7 23 1 11 .187 1991 KC 293 29 86 2 40 .294 Total 2048 233 523 46 286 .255

CHRIS GWYNN

YEAR TEAM AB R H HR RBI AVG. 1987 LA 32 2 7 0 2 .219 1988 LA 11 1 2 0 0 .182 1989 LA 68 8 16 0 7 .235 1990 LA 141 19 40 5 22 .284 1991 LA 139 18 35 5 22 .252 Total 391 48 100 10 53 .256