07/14/2003 7:00 PM ET Burnitz, Henderson headed to LA By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com LOS ANGELES -- Searching for a way to improve the lowest-scoring offense in the National League, the Dodgers on Monday acquired outfielder Jeromy Burnitz from the New York Mets in exchange for three minor leaguers and they signed 44-year-old future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson out of an independent league. Burnitz, 34, figures to replace left fielder Brian Jordan, who underwent season-ending knee surgery Friday. The Dodgers hope the left-handed hitting Burnitz, who averaged 34 home runs and 107 RBIs from 1998-2001 in Milwaukee, will jump-start an offense that is last in the National League in runs scored. Burnitz receives $11.75 million this year, with about $5.5 million remaining to be paid. The Dodgers will pay $2 million of that, but will be assessed only $500,000 for luxury tax purposes because of the contract's structure and will remain more than $2 million under the $117 million luxury tax threshold, which leaves general manager Dan Evans room for further maneuvering. The Mets will pay $3.5 million, plus $500,000 for a clause triggered by the trade. Burnitz can be a free agent after this season. Henderson, baseball's all-time leader in runs scored, stolen bases and walks but unable to land a Major League job this year, was hitting .339 with a .493 on-base percentage and a .591 slugging percentage for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League. This will be the 10-time All-Star's ninth team and 25th Major-League season. He is generally regarded as the best leadoff hitter in history, combining the speed and base-running savvy to steal 1,403 bases with the power to hit 295 home runs. Burnitz, an All-Star in 1999, has 18 home runs and 54 RBIs for the Mets while batting .274 this year, despite missing 25 games with a broken hand. He rebounded from a difficult first season in New York when he had 19 home runs and 54 RBIs while batting only .215. Evans said he is confident the moves will bolster the club's offense. "Jeromy and Rickey will make us better," Evans said. "We get a solid run-producer in the middle of the lineup and one of the game's greatest players. They can only make us better." Evans said Burnitz can play all three outfield positions, implying that he might see time in center field with Dave Roberts still disabled. "One thing we heard from everyone is that Jeromy plays hard all the time, and that's an attribute that cannot be denied," said Evans. He said Henderson is viewed as a bench player and has embraced that role. "He's been playing exceptionally well," Evans said of Henderson, who was scouted this week by top advisor Don Welke. "We only want these players to contribute on their level, nothing unrealistic." Burnitz welcomed a deal taking him from a losing situation to a contender near his home. "I feel great just to have the opportunity," Burnitz said. "It's a situation I've never been in and I'm looking forward to contributing to a contender. I'm not really concerned about any adjustment period whatsoever. I'm looking forward to jumping into that lineup and executing the plan I've been using from my first pitch in a Dodger uniform. I'm just going to carry it into that first pitch I see, put a good swing on it and hope for good results." Burnitz, who lives in San Diego, was also excited because the move will afford him the opportunity to spend more time with his family. Yet, he admits that he will miss New York because of what he learned last season when he struggled to a .215 batting average with 19 homers and 54 RBIs. "It's hard for me to get real specific but I wouldn't trade my experience in New York for anything," Burnitz said. "It gave me something inside. My personal experience there is tough for me to define. I wasn't part of a contending team but they are the organization that drafted me. "And with last year's struggles, I felt as bad as anyone. But to be able to come back and execute my job in way that has been productive for the team has been great. When you're struggling there, there's no hiding from anything in New York. To be exposed in a way through struggles, the whole experience gave me a lot inside and I wouldn't trade it for the world." The Dodgers will send New York second baseman Victor Diaz, hitting .291 with 54 RBI in 86 games at Double-A Jacksonville; right-handed pitcher Joselo Diaz, 1-0 in only four games at Jacksonville after going 5-2 with a save and a 3.50 ERA in 15 games earlier this season for Class A Vero Beach; and right-handed pitcher Kole Strayhorn, who is 5-2 with a 2.93 ERA and nine saves at Single-A Vero Beach. A key aspect of the trade for the third-place Dodgers, who trail San Francisco by 7 1/2 games at the All-Star Break, is the addition of a bat without costing a Major League arm (the Dodger pitching staff has the lowest ERA in the Major Leagues) or prime prospects such as Franklin Gutierrez or Edwin Jackson. "The core of our prospects is not harmed on this one," said Evans. "We improve without mortgaging the future. We have an opportunity to be a better club in '03 and still keep the players we really think are the nucleus for '04 and beyond." The deal for the Mets was a continuation of payroll shedding that started last month with the trade of second baseman Roberto Alomar to the Chicago White Sox. The Dodgers must clear space on both their 40-man and 25-man rosters for the two new players. Larry Barnes, Chin-Feng Chen, Alfredo Gonzalez and Jose Diaz are prime candidates for demotion. --

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