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Atlanta acquires Sheffield; Jordan, Perez head trio leaving for L.A.

By The Associated Press

ATLANTA — Gary Sheffield got his wish yesterday when the Los Angeles Dodgers traded him to the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Brian Jordan, pitcher Odalis Perez and minor-league pitcher Andy Brown.

The Braves struggled to find a complement to Chipper Jones on offense the past two seasons, while Los Angeles dealt with repeated complaints from Sheffield, who wanted a trade or a promise the Dodgers would keep him through the end of his contract in 2004.

"We've been looking for a hitter of this caliber for quite some time," Braves General Manager John Schuerholz said. "We've been talking periodically with the Dodgers about Gary for the past year and were delighted we were able to get it done."

The demand by Sheffield, who hit .311 with 36 home runs and 100 runs batted in last season, didn't lead to the deal, Dodgers General Manager Dan Evans insisted.

"We didn't get rid of Gary Sheffield," Evans said. "We made the trade because we felt it made a lot of sense for us."

Jordan, often the subject of trade rumors, hit .295 with 25 home runs and 97 RBI in 2001. The 34-year-old was bothered by injuries during his three seasons in Atlanta, although he often played through them.

"I'm still in shock," said Jordan, a former NFL safety who makes his home in the Atlanta area. "This is going to take me away from my family."

Jordan was told of the trade in a phone call with Schuerholz.

"I hung up on him," Jordan said. "He stabbed me in the back."

Jordan was upset because Schuerholz had recently asked him to help convince former teammate Terry Pendleton to accept a coaching job and free-agent pitcher John Smoltz to re-sign with the Braves.

"They used me to make the team stronger, and then you're gone," Jordan said.

Left-hander Perez, 23, projected to be Atlanta's fifth starter, was 7-8 with a 4.91 earned-run average.

Even while extending their streak of division titles to 10 in a row, the Braves have struggled offensively in recent years.

Sheffield, 33, will play right field and Andruw Jones will remain in center.

Sheffield, who lives in the Tampa area, intends to build a home near Atlanta.

"He was surprised that this got done because Atlanta was one of the primary places he wanted to go to," said Sheffield's agent, Scott Boras. "He's just real happy it worked out."

Sheffield's departure ends a contentious 3-1/2-year relationship with the Dodgers.

The productive but outspoken slugger blasted team officials while trying to force a trade last February, criticized the team for giving players of lesser ability more money than him, grumbled about where he hit in the lineup and rang in the New Year with another body blow to the front office, saying he did not trust the general manager.

Sheffield is a .295 career hitter with 315 homers and 1,016 RBI in 13 seasons with Milwaukee, San Diego, Florida and the Dodgers. He has two years remaining on his contract. He will earn $9.5 million in 2002, and $11 million in 2003. The Braves inherit a club option of $11 million for 2004.


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