Blue Jays Go Out for a Cone : Baseball: AL East leaders get New York ace for Kent and a minor leaguer. Mets were worried they would get nothing for him.

The Toronto Blue Jays, whose midseason or second-half acquisition of a player eligible for free agency has become a title-winning art form, did it again Thursday.

Moving to strengthen a struggling rotation, the Blue Jays acquired David Cone from the New York Mets for third baseman Jeff Kent and a player to be named--probably minor league outfielder Ryan Thompson.

“We’ve been very concerned with our pitching and looking to improve it since the All-Star break,” said Pat Gillick, Toronto general manager.

“We’d be running away with the (American League East) if our pitching had been as good as we expected it to be. I mean, the only reason the (Baltimore) Orioles and (Milwaukee) Brewers are still in it is we’ve been letting them stay in it. David Cone is one of the best pitchers in baseball. When you get a shot to win it, you’ve got to go after it.

“I know that we haven’t been very successful signing the players we’ve traded for, but we’re focusing on the remaining 35 games and the postseason. We’ll worry about Cone’s contract when the time comes.”

The Blue Jays made second-half deals for Tom Candiotti and Candy Maldonado last year and Bud Black and John Candelaria the year before. Candiotti and Black left as free agents when their seasons ended. Mookie Wilson was acquired in the second half of ‘89, and Mike Flanagan in the second half of ’87.

Toronto won a division title in ‘91, was second in ‘90, won in ’89 and was second in ’87.

Cone, 29, has a 13-7 record this season with a 2.88 earned-run average. He leads the major leagues with 214 strikeouts in 196 2/3 innings and has a career record of 80-48.

He had to clear waivers earlier this month before he could be traded, but representatives of the Orioles and Brewers said they did not consider claiming him because of his high salary and imminent free agency and the likelihood, at that time, that the Mets would have withdrawn waivers because they were still in the race.

Now?

“The Mets’ season was dead and the clubhouse was dead. I’m happy to be leaving,” said Cone, who turned down a four-year, $17-million offer in spring training after winning a $4.25-million salary in arbitration. His acquisition for the final 35 games will cost the Blue Jays about $950,000.

Met General Manager Al Harazin said he had not had any recent negotiations with Cone but added that when Greg Maddux, who is also eligible for free agency when the season ends, recently rejected a five-year, $28.5-million offer from the Chicago Cubs, “I knew it was 50-50 at best that we’d be able to re-sign David. Our track record with injuries and long-term contracts for pitchers has not been good, and I knew we were not going to go to five years and maybe not even four years.”

Harazin also said the club was not going to let Cone leave without getting something in return. The Mets got nothing when Darryl Strawberry left as a free agent to sign with the Dodgers. Though Kent has been a part-timer with the Blue Jays and Thompson has yet to play in the majors, Harazin’s implication was that two prospects are better than none.

“It’s terribly difficult to trade a player of David’s caliber,” he said. “I anticipate seeing him pitch in the playoffs and World Series and pitching well. It will not be easy to replace him, but we’ll address that later.”

Cone said the trade signaled the end of an era, the “last link” to the “arrogant image” that existed under former Manager Davey Johnson.

He said the focus now is on building a family image and acknowledged that with a sexual harassment suit pending against him he might not have fit the image--financial or otherwise. However, he said he would not close the door on a return to New York as a free agent, with either the Mets or Yankees. But he added that his immediate goal is to help the Blue Jays reach the playoffs.

“I know they’ve been having problems pitching-wise, but I think I can help solve that,” said Cone, who was 20-3 in 1988, his best season.

Toronto pitchers have only two complete games in the club’s last 45 games and the starting pitchers had a 7.85 ERA in a 22-game stretch before Todd Stottlemyre pitched a one-hitter Wednesday night.

With Dave Stieb and Juan Guzman on the disabled list, only Jack Morris (17-5) has pitched up to expectations. However, Guzman (12-3) will start Sunday against the Brewers, after Cone, who has lost his last three starts, makes his debut Saturday.

Considering that the Blue Jays had been discussing the possible acquisition of Frank Tanana, Eric King or Craig Lefferts, the latest second-half acquisition represented a significant leap.

David Cone’s Career Statistics

REGULAR SEASON

YEAR TEAM W-L ERA INN. BB K 1986 Kansas City Royals 0-0 5.56 22.2 13 21 1987 New York Mets 5-6 3.71 99.1 44 68 1988 New York Mets 20-3 2.22 231.1 80 213 1989 New York Mets 14-8 3.52 219.2 74 190 1990 New York Mets 14-10 3.23 211.2 65 233 1991 New York Mets 14-14 3.29 232.2 73 241 1992 New York Mets 13-7 2.88 196.2 82 214 Totals 80-48 3.13 1,214 431 1,180

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

YEAR TEAM W-L ERA INN. BB K 1988 New York Mets 1-1 4.50 12.0 5 9

* DEION STAYS PUT

Outfielder Deion Sanders decides to remain with the Atlanta Braves until their season ends, meaning the All-Pro cornerback will miss at least six of the Atlanta Falcons’ games, C4.