L.A. Motto: Todd Help Us

Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone would like to make one thing clear. He is making the decisions in the front office, not the Fox owners, not team president Bob Graziano.

“I’m not a puppet,” Malone said.

So give him the credit, give him the blame.

For Tuesday, give him some credit. Malone traded catcher Charles Johnson and outfielder Roger Cedeno to the New York Mets for catcher Todd Hundley and minor league pitcher Arnold Gooch, thus giving the Dodgers both the power-hitting catcher and left-handed bat they have sorely needed in Hundley.

The Mets, already set behind the plate with Mike Piazza, then turned around and sent Johnson to the Baltimore Orioles for relief pitcher Armando Benitez.

Of course Malone will get credit only if Hundley is completely recovered from the reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in September of 1997.

“My elbow is back to 100%,” Hundley declared.

If so, it has been a long road back for the 29-year-old Hundley, who hit 41 home runs in 1996, a major league record for a catcher and a National League record for a switch-hitter.

After the elbow surgery, Hundley returned to the Mets in July of last season, but found Piazza entrenched in his position. So the Mets put Hundley in left field, but not for long. He committed five errors in 34 starts in left.

“I couldn’t stand the outfield,” Hundley said. “With my personality, it was too boring.”

Hundley went back to the minors for further rehab. But this time, he was stimulated rather than bored. Not only was he put back behind the plate, but his manager was Rick Dempsey, a former major league catcher.

Brought back to the big league club at season’s end, Hundley got in two games with his beloved catching gear on. In one of them, he stood his ground on the final play of a game in Montreal, withstanding a collision with Shane Andrews, who represented the tying run, to apply the final tag.

Hundley knew he was back, even though he played in only 53 games, hitting .161, with three homers and 12 runs batted in. But he also knew his days in New York were over. For one thing, Piazza wasn’t going anywhere, having signed a seven-year, $91-million contract. For another, Hundley had never gotten along with Manager Bobby Valentine, who once accused the catcher in the New York papers of not getting enough sleep at night.

So when Met General Manager Steve Phillips said Tuesday in announcing the trade, “It is a bittersweet day in Mets history with Todd Hundley leaving the organization,” Hundley couldn’t have agreed more.

But knowing he was leaving New York, Hundley also knew where he was not going: Los Angeles. Hundley could stipulate the clubs to whom he could be traded and the Dodgers were not among them.

Not at first.

But then he saw Malone take command. And he saw Davey Johnson, for whom he had briefly played in 1990, hired as manager. And he saw Dempsey hired as the Dodgers’ third base coach. And he changed his mind.

So much so that after the trade was completed, Hundley said, “This is an organization that I would love to finish my career with. Wherever Davey goes, he doesn’t accept losing.”

Hundley might have changed his mind, but Malone still had to be convinced that the catcher was bringing a sound right elbow with him. So the Dodger general manager checked with his own team’s physicians, with the doctor who had done the surgery and looked over the results of an MRI done Monday that showed that the healing process in the elbow was complete. Malone also checked with Dempsey, who had been highly impressed with Hundley in the brief time he had played for him.

“He is a major piece of the puzzle,” Malone said of Hundley. “He is going to give us better balance in the lineup hitting between [Gary] Sheffield and [Raul] Mondesi. Now if you play us, you’d better have some weapons, you’d better have some arms and you’d better have some specialists in the bullpen because, if we get some runs up on you early, we are going to be tough.”

The Dodgers certainly didn’t figure to be as tough behind the plate with Johnson, who turned out to be just as advertised: strong glove, weak bat. Johnson, who came to the Dodgers last May in the monumental deal for Piazza, hit only .217 for them in 102 games with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs.

Talk about a tough situation. Johnson was a below-average catcher offensively trying to fill a spot previously held by one of the greatest-hitting catchers in baseball history.

The Piazza trade, pulled off by the new Fox ownership over the head of then-general manager Fred Claire, was portrayed by the Dodgers as a brilliant move that got the most out a bad situation, because it was clear Piazza was not going to re-sign at his asking price.

But only 6 1/2 months later, only Sheffield remains of the five players obtained from the Florida Marlins for Pizza and third baseman Todd Zeile. Third baseman Bobby Bonilla was traded to the Mets, and neither outfielder Jim Eisenreich nor pitcher Manuel Barrios were retained.

At one point, it was thought that the 24-year-old Cedeno would be retained until he was an old man in baseball terms. He was once touted as the Dodgers’ center fielder of the future, the heir apparent to Brett Butler.

But that was before the Dodgers discovered Cedeno was inconsistent, both in the field and at bat. Cedeno had an alarming tendency to misjudge fly balls. The switch-hitter played in 105 games for the Dodgers last season, hitting .242 with two home runs and 17 RBIs.

Hundley’s contract calls for him to receive $5.2 million in 1999 and $6 million in 2000 with an option for 2001. Johnson, who is eligible for arbitration, received $3.3 million last season.

Malone’s wheeling and dealing has brought the Dodger payroll up to $73 million with an additional hike coming if he can land free-agent pitcher Kevin Brown.

The new ownership is banking on that outlay of cash eventually resulting in a championship. If not, well, as Malone said, give him the credit, give him the blame.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

PIAZZA EFFECT

The trade of Mike Piazza was only the first step in a long series of deals for the Dodgers. A look:

May 15, 1998

Dodgers trade Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile to Florida for Gary Sheffield, Charles Johnson, Jim Eisenreich, Bobby Bonilla and Manuel Barrios.

July 17, 1998

Dodgers put Barrios on waivers. He is claimed by Florida.

Nov. 5, 1998

Eisenreich files for free agency. He is not expected to re-sign with Dodgers.

Nov. 11, 1998

Dodgers trade Bonilla and $1 million to Mets for reliever Mel Rojas.

Dec. 1, 1998

Dodgers trade Johnson and Roger Cedeno to Mets for catcher Todd Hundley.

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PIAZZA TRADE BOILED DOWN:

Dodgers give up: Mike Piazza, Todd Zeile and Roger Cedeno.

Dodgers acquire: Gary Sheffield, Mel Rojas and Todd Hundley.

THE DEALS

TO THE DODGERS

Todd Hundley: Once one of the best-hitting catchers, Hundley had reconstructive elbow surgery before the 1998 season and hit only .161 with three homers, 12 RBIs and 55 strikeouts in 124 at-bats.

Arnold Gooch: The only minor leaguer in the deal, the 22-year-old right-hander was 11-14 with a 3.90 ERA for double-A Binghampton.

TO THE METS

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

Armando Benitez: Reliever will become a setup man for closer John Franco. He went 5-6 with a 3.82 ERA and 22 saves last season for Baltimore.

TO THE ORIOLES

Charles Johnson: The best defensive catcher in baseball, Johnson had a poor year at the plate, hitting only .218 with 19 homers and 58 RBIs for the Marlins and Dodgers.

HUNDLEY’S STATISTICS

How Todd Hundley ranked in his best seasons compared to other catchers:

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1998 1997 153 (1st) Games 137 (5th) .259 (16th Average .273 (12th) 41 (1st) Homers 30 (2nd) 112 (1st) RBIs 86 (2nd) .356 (5th) OB% .394 (2nd) .550 (2nd) Slug% .549 (2nd

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Todd Hundley Profile

BACKGROUND: Born May 27, 1969 . . . switch-hitter, throws right . . . Holds major league record for most home runs by a catcher (41 in 1996) . . . Holds National League record for most home runs by a switch-hitter in consecutive seasons (71 in 1996-97) . . . Holds National League season record for most home runs by a switch-hitter (41 in 1996) . . . Son of Randy Hundley, major league catcher with four teams from 1964-77.

REGULAR-SEASON STATISTICS *--*

Year, Team AB R H HR RBI Avg 1990, NYM 67 8 14 0 2 .209 1991, NYM 60 5 8 1 7 .133 1992, NYM 358 32 75 7 32 .209 1993, NYM 417 40 95 11 53 .228 1994, NYM 291 45 69 16 42 .237 1995, NYM 275 39 77 15 51 .280 1996, NYM 540 85 140 41 112 .259 1997, NYM 417 78 114 30 86 .273 1998, NYM 124 8 20 3 12 .161 Totals 2549 340 612 124 397 .240

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RANGERS GET PALMEIRO: Slugger returns to Texas. Mets sign free-agent third baseman Robin Ventura. Page 6