Dodger Trade Could Be a Hit

The Dodgers said goodbye to ace Kevin Brown on Saturday and welcomed outfielder Juan Encarnacion, acquired from Florida in an ongoing effort to bolster the major leagues’ worst offense.

General Manager Dan Evans remained busy at the winter meetings here, officially announcing the deal that provided the Yankees with the No. 1 starter they wanted. The Dodgers received right-hander Jeff Weaver, two minor leaguers and $2.4 million for Brown.

Trading for Encarnacion was Evans’ first move of the club’s post-Brown era, getting the right-handed batter for a minor leaguer to be named.

Brown expressed excitement about joining the American League champions in a conference call with reporters, calling it “a great day for myself and my family.” While stressing he had a good experience in Los Angeles, he said he wanted to play for a team closer to his Macon, Ga., home.

Brown reverted to form in 2003 after consecutive injury-plagued seasons, going 14-9 and finishing second in the National League with a 2.39 earned-run average, and now he’s a Yankee.

“To come over and play for an organization with the success the Yankees have had ... it’s a great opportunity for me to end my career,” the 15-year veteran said.

Weaver was similarly pleased about a change of scenery.

The Southland native had a bad experience in the Big Apple and is eager for a new beginning.

“I was hoping for big things but it didn’t work out,” said the Simi Valley resident, who went 7-9 with a 5.99 ERA and was bumped from the rotation in early June.

“I get to start fresh in L.A. with the team that I grew up watching, so it’s kind of mind-boggling. The stuff I went through in New York is only going to make me that much better for the seasons to come.”

The Dodgers also received minor league pitchers Yhency Barzoban and Brandon Weeden. The Yankees reduced the cash in the deal from $3 million to $2.4 million because the cost of the chartered jet for Brown and his family is $600,000 per season. The Dodgers play host to the Yankees June 18-20 in the teams’ first regular-season meeting.

The Encarnacion trade didn’t involve high finance. The Marlins had decided not to tender a contract to the five-year veteran who would have become a free agent this month, baseball officials said, but Evans said he didn’t want to risk losing Encarnacion in a “bidding war.”

The Dodgers have offered a two-year, $8-million contract to Encarnacion, who can go to arbitration. Whether he remains with the Dodgers might depend on other moves Evans has in the works, officials said. Evans continued to pursue trades for outfield help after getting Encarnacion, who might be moved in a bigger deal, such as for All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra of the Boston Red Sox.

Evans and Seattle General Manager Bill Bavasi, formerly the Dodger farm director, are discussing a deal that would bring outfielder Randy Winn, whom Evans tried to acquire when Winn was with Tampa Bay, to Los Angeles, a Dodger source said. The club is also interested in Tampa Bay outfielder-first baseman Aubrey Huff.

The Dodgers believe Encarnacion could provide a boost for an offense that produced 17 fewer runs than the Detroit Tigers, but the job is far from finished.

“He’s a player we’ve been looking at for the last four, five months,” Evans said. “He’s a player who’s really coming into his own, he’s made some great strides the last couple of years, and our scouts really like him.”

Although Encarnacion batted .270 with 19 home runs, 37 doubles, a career-high 94 runs batted in and 19 stolen bases last season, the Marlins considered him expendable because of the emergence of rookie Miguel Cabrera. In 15 postseason games for the World Series champions, Encarnacion batted .184 with two homers and three RBIs.

Encarnacion, 27, had only a .313 on-base percentage last season -- ranking 139th among everyday players in the majors -- and is at that mark for his career. The Dodgers were last in the NL and 29th among 30 teams with a .303 on-base percentage.

Officials from other clubs said the Marlins were unable to stir interest in Encarnacion, and willing to move him for little. That’s apparently what they’ll get from the Dodgers, who said the minor leaguer in the deal isn’t among their prospects.

The Dodgers said they would spend after jettisoning the $30 million owed Brown in the trade for Weaver, who is guaranteed $15.5 million over two seasons, and Encarnacion might be the first to benefit from their newfound payroll flexibility.

“As long as teams are interested, I’m fine. It’s when nobody wants you that things are bad,” said Encarnacion, from the same town in the Dominican Republic as Dodger starter Odalis Perez.

“I’m fine wherever I play. I just want to do what I have to do; get the job done.”

In Brown, the Yankees believe they have a player who will do the job at the front of their new-look rotation.

“This guy is one of the highest competitors in the game,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “The results speak for themselves.”

Said Brown: “I’m going to get a chance to be closer to home, see my kids more and do more things in their life that I couldn’t do when I was across the country. That’s really what this whole thing was about for me.”

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The New Guy

Juan Encarnacion’s statistics:

*--* YEAR TEAM AB HR RBI SB AVG. 1997 Detroit 33 1 5 3 212 1998 Detroit 164 7 21 7 329 1999 Detroit 509 19 74 33 255 2000 Detroit 547 14 72 16 289 2001 Detroit 417 12 52 9 242 2002 Cin/Fla 584 24 85 21 271 2003 Florida 601 19 94 19 270

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