Dodgers Bring Davis Home : Baseball: They trade Belcher and Wetteland to the Reds to acquire outfielder and Kip Gross. Meanwhile, Murray signs with the Mets.

The Dodgers bid farewell to a veteran power hitter Wednesday, just in time to welcome another one.

Eddie Murray is gone, but Eric Davis is on his way.

Shortly after first baseman Murray signed a two-year contract with the New York Mets, the Dodgers acquired outfielder Davis from the Cincinnati Reds with pitcher Kip Gross in a trade for pitcher Tim Belcher and John Wetteland.

With the addition of Davis, a Los Angeles native and two-time All-Star who averaged 30 home runs and 90 runs batted in per year before struggling with a kidney injury last season, the Dodgers have one of best outfields in baseball.

But with the loss of Belcher they have one of the shakiest starting rotations, particularly because free agents Orel Hershiser and Mike Morgan are still unsigned.

Hershiser is expected to return, but Morgan says he is close to accepting a four-year offer from the Chicago Cubs, whose officials are flying to Phoenix in hopes of finalizing a deal with him Tuesday.

“The Cubs are making the moves it takes to win . . . it looks to me like the Dodgers are trying to finish last,” Morgan said Wednesday. “Getting rid of their veteran infielders, getting rid of Belcher, getting rid of Murray. . . . I know one player already asked Fred Claire if he was out of his mind.”

With the loss of Murray, they could also have one of baseball’s strangest infields.

Besides the increasingly strong chance that there could be rookies starting at third base (Dave Hansen) and shortstop (Jose Offerman), the first baseman could be Kal Daniels, who has lost his job in left field to Davis.

“That sounds like something, pardon the pun, that is out of left field,” pitcher Bob Ojeda said.

While Claire, Dodger vice president, sounded elated over the trade, not everyone agreed with him.

“Even though I respect Fred and thank him for bringing me to the Dodgers, I think he’s made a mistake,” Belcher said from his Ohio home, which is several hours north of Cincinnati. “If I were to take a snapshot of the National League West right now, given the Dodgers’ current situation, I would rank them far down the list, considerably below the Reds and Braves. And that is based on pitching alone.”

Belcher, who ranked fourth in the National League with a 2.62 earned-run average last year, added: “I’m just shocked. Fred told me he had to fill a need for a right-handed power hitter. I said, ‘What are you going to do with the rotation now?’ ”

Claire said Davis is worth the gamble, particularly since the Dodgers batted .243 against left-handed pitching last year. Murray batted .217 against left-handers.

“I believe Eric brings to our ballclub one of the outstanding talents in the game today,” Claire said. “I know it is a significant risk. We now have an obligation to restructure our pitching staff.

“But to acquire talent, you have to give up talent. And Eric Davis has as much talent as anybody playing baseball.”

Davis, a Fremont High graduate, is also one of the happiest players in baseball. Not only is he going home, he is returning to play with boyhood pal Darryl Strawberry.

“This is a dream come true,” said Davis, 29. “Darryl and I have dreamed about it in the past, and it seemed so far-fetched at the time, we never thought it could come true. But here we are.”

The biggest difference between Strawberry and Davis is also the biggest question about Davis: Can he stay sound for an entire summer?

Davis has never played more than 135 games in his six full major league seasons. Although he played a career-low 89 games last year mostly because of kidney problems, he also missed games because of a strained right quadriceps, a sore left hamstring, and a bruised cheek and stiff neck.

He hit a career-low 11 home runs with 33 runs batted in, and was the object of boos from Reds’ fans for missing games before it was discovered that his kidney problems were causing fatigue.

Davis and the Dodgers are confident that those problems, a result of a lacerated kidney that Davis suffered while making a diving catch in Game 4 of the 1990 World Series, have disappeared.

“I’ve had Dr. (Frank) Jobe talk to the Cincinnati team doctor,” Claire said. “I’m satisfied with those reports, and satisfied with talking to Eric today, that he will be healthy, happy and extremely productive.”

Center fielder Brett Butler said Davis should be extremely motivated.

“I think Eric wants to prove a point,” Butler said. “When he plays, he plays hard, but everybody wants to see if he can play a full year. That is the question. If he plays, he helps the club. He definitely makes it easier for me.”

Davis said that playing on grass will help his durability.

“I put in my contract that there were only six teams where they could trade me, and all six played on grass, because I think it will make a big difference,” Davis said. “I can avoid some of the bumps and bruises that have caused me to miss games.”

Davis said if it weren’t for the neglect of the Reds, his kidney would have healed faster because he would have not attempted to play so soon last spring.

“I didn’t know the severity of my injury, I got no medical assistance from the (Reds’) staff or management,” Davis said. “If somebody told me my strength would diminish every time I played, I wouldn’t have gone out there.”

The other problem with Davis is his contract. The Dodgers can afford his $3.6-million salary this season, but he is in the last year of a three-year deal, and can become as free agent next year.

Davis said he would like to work out an extension. But everyone knows what the Dodgers think about contract extensions.

“You’re already talking about 1993, I’m only thinking about 1992,” Claire said. “And he has a contract for 1992.”

Said Davis: “I hope we can get (an extension) solidified before the season starts, it would make it easier on everybody.”

Kip Gross, 27, has spent parts of two seasons in the major leagues. As one of the Reds’ right-handed spot starters last year, he was 6-4 with a 3.47 ERA in nine starts and 20 relief appearances. He had 40 walks and 40 strikeouts.

While the loss of Belcher surprised some players, particularly since he had a 50-38 record with a 2.99 ERA in parts of five seasons with the Dodgers, the team was stunned by the loss of Murray.

Murray, who averaged 22 home runs and 93 RBIs during his three seasons with the Dodgers, signed a two-year deal with the Mets worth $7.5 million.

The Dodgers never offered him more than a one-year contract.

“I just don’t understand the arrogance of letting him go like that,” Ojeda said. “I don’t understand just letting a Hall of Famer out the door so easily. It’s like they thought they could offer whatever they wanted and he would come crawling back to them because they are the Dodgers.”

Ojeda added: “That’s not the way it works anymore.”

Butler said the Dodgers have lost their father figure.

“Eddie was the papa bear in the clubhouse, Eddie was our glue. When I heard he was leaving, All I could say was, ‘Wow,’ ” Butler said.

Murray, 35, said he was surprised that the Dodgers did not offer him more than a one-year, $3-million contract even though several other teams topped that mark.

“I never thought it would come to this,” Murray said. “I knew I would have at least three years with the Dodgers, but I wanted to play longer than that. But it was not possible. . . . I guess they think Eric Karros is ready. That’s all I can figure.”

Claire said he respected Murray but reiterated that it was time to give younger players such as Karros and Henry Rodriguez a chance.

“No one could possibly have more respect for Eddie than I have, as a person and a player . . . but this team is getting younger, there is no getting around that,” Claire said.

If the Dodgers are indeed rebuilding certain parts of the club, Manager Tom Lasorda said they picked a good cornerstone in Davis.

“A couple of years ago, before the injury, somebody asked me who would be my first pick if I had to start a ballclub, and I immediately said Eric Davis,” Lasorda said. “And we really need him here to give us more balance with left-handers. Last year teams were sending out all kinds of left-handers against us in the late innings. This will change that.”

Davis said the new start brings back memories of growing up in central Los Angeles, of a time when he played for the Rancho Park youth league team in a championship game against the Baldwin Hills youth league team.

“Darryl played for Baldwin Hills, it was the first time I saw him, he was like 6-foot-2 and hitting all these balls out of the park,” Davis recalled. “We ended up beating them and we became friends, and now . . . it is just so good to be home.”

Coming and Going

A look at the moves involving the Dodgers Wednesday.

ARRIVALS

* ERIC DAVIS

Two-time all-star averaged 30 home runs and 90 runs batted in before a kidney injury slowed him last season. Davis, 29, batted .268 with 177 home runs and 532 runs batted in during eight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.

* KIP GROSS

Right-hander was 6-4 with a 3.47 ERA for the Reds last season. Gross, 27, appeared in 29 games, nine as a starter.

DEPARTURES

* TIM BELCHER

Right-hander was 50-38 with a 2.99 earned-run average in six seasons with the Dodgers.

* JOHN WETTELAND

Promising right-hander never found a role on the Dodger staff, compiling an 8-12 record with a 3.84 ERA in parts of three seasons.

* EDDIE MURRAY

First baseman batted .278 with 65 home runs and 279 runs batted in three seasons.

A Statistical Look at Dodgers-Reds Trade

The Dodgers obtained outfielder Eric Davis and pitcher Kip Gross from the Cincinnati Reds for pitchers Tim Belcher and John Wetteland Wednesday. Here are the statistics for those players:

ERIC DAVIS

Regular Season

YEAR TEAM AB R H HR RBI AVG 1984 Cin 174 33 39 10 30 .224 1985 Cin 122 26 30 8 18 .246 1986 Cin 415 97 115 27 71 .277 1987 Cin 474 120 139 37 100 .293 1988 Cin 472 81 129 26 93 .273 1989 Cin 462 74 130 34 101 .281 1990 Cin 453 84 118 24 86 .260 1991 Cin 285 39 67 11 33 .235 Totals 2857 554 767 177 532 .268

League Championship Series

YEAR OPP AB R H HR RBI AVG 1990 vs Pit 23 2 4 0 2 .174

World Series

YEAR OPP AB R H HR RBI AVG 1990 vs Oak 14 3 4 1 5 .286

KIP GROSS

Regular Season

YEAR TEAM IP W-L BB SO ERA 1990 Cin 6 1/3 0-0 2 3 4.26 1991 Cin 85 6-4 40 40 3.47 Totals 91 1/3 6-4 42 43 3.52

TIM BELCHER

Regular Season

YEAR TEAM IP W-L BB SO ERA 1987 LA 34 4-2 7 23 2.38 1988 LA 179 2/3 12-6 51 152 2.91 1989 LA 230 15-12 80 200 2.82 1990 LA 153 9-9 48 102 4.00 1991 LA 209 10-9 75 156 2.62 Totals 805 2/3 50-38 261 633 2.99

League Championship Series

YEAR OPP IP W-L BB SO ERA 1988 vs Mets 15 2-0 4 16 4.11

World Series

YEAR OPP IP W-L BB SO ERA 1988 vs Oak 8 2/3 1-0 6 10 6.23

JOHN WETTELAND

Regular Season

YEAR TEAM IP W-L BB SO ERA 1989 LA 102 2/3 5-8 34 96 3.77 1990 LA 43 2-4 17 36 4.81 1991 LA 9 1-0 3 9 0.00 Totals 155 2/3 8-12 54 141 3.84