L.A. Motto: Todd Help Us

The Dodgers, looking to beef up their offense, acquired power-hitting catcher Todd Hundley from the New York Mets on Tuesday for catcher Charles Johnson and outfielder Roger Cedeno.

The Dodgers will also receive minor league pitcher Arnie Gooch, a 22-year-old right-hander obtained by the Mets in the Bret Saberhagen trade on July 31, 1995.

Hundley, coming off elbow surgery, played in only 53 games last season and hit .161 with three homers and 12 runs batted in. He became expendable when the Mets signed catcher Mike Piazza to a $91-million, seven-year contract earlier in the off-season.

Hundley, a 29-year-old switch-hitter, set a major league record for homers by a catcher in 1996, hitting 41 to surpass Roy Campanella’s 43-year-old standard. Hundley also hit .259 and drove in 112 runs that year.

Hampered by elbow problems in 1997, Hundley played in 132 games and hit .273 with 30 homers and 86 RBIs. He became the first Met to hit 30 or more homers in consecutive seasons since Darryl Strawberry did so in 1987-88.

Johnson, 27, came to the Dodgers along with Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich and a minor league pitcher for Piazza and third baseman Todd Zeile on May 15.

Johnson played in 133 games with the Marlins and Dodgers last season and hit only .218 with 19 homers and 58 RBIs. He was immediately traded by the Mets to the Baltimore Orioles for reliever Armando Benitez.

The 24-year-old Cedeno, a switch hitter long considered a top prospect, played in 105 games for the Dodgers last season and hit .242 with two homers and 17 RBIs.