Braves Trade Boone & Klesko

December 22, 1999 / 1:48 PM EST / CBS/AP

Bret Boone and Ryan Klesko are coming back home to Southern California. Wally Joyner's heading to his native Atlanta.

Wednesday's six-player trade between the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves helped each team revamp its lineup and took care of some natural realignment.

Boone, who was born into a San Diego baseball family and became a second baseman, and Klesko, a first baseman who's from Orange County, joined the Padres along with minor league right-hander Jason Shiell.

Joyner goes to the Braves along with second baseman and leadoff hitter Quilvio Veras and left fielder Reggie Sanders.

"I'm looking forward to coming to San Diego," said Boone, whose father, Bob, and grandfather, Ray, were both big leaguers. Ray Boone still lives in San Diego.

"I've always been the opponent, but it's always been one of my favorite places and I'm really looking forward to it," Boone said.

San Diego's always been a favorite spot for Klesko, both for hitting as a major leaguer and surfing when he was younger.

Although the Padres shed several stars after reaching the World Series in 1998, Klesko doesn't feel like he's coming to a West Coast version of the Florida Marlins.

"San Diego knows as well as anyone how to get into the playoffs," Klesko said. "I don't care what other people say, we're coming in to win."

San Diego, which beat Atlanta in the 1998 NL Championship Series, dropped to fourth in the NL West last season while the Braves went on to the same fate as the Padres in '98, being swept in the World Series by the New York Yankees.

The Padres lose speed but gain power in the infield. The Braves gain both a leadoff hitter and an outfielder to make up for the loss of Gerald Williams, who signed with Tampa Bay, and an insurance policy in Joyner in case first baseman Andres Galarraga isn't at full strength after an 18-month layoff during his treatment for cancer.

"We're all very hopeful Andres will come back and assume full duty at first base," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said. "That is still somewhat an unknown set of circumstances. Wally Joyner, prior to 1999 before he suffered the shoulder injury, put up very, very good numbers offesively, and of course is regarded as one of the finest first baseman defensively around."

Joyner, 37, promised that next season will be better than 1999, when he slumped badly, in part because of a fracture in his left shoulder.

"I don't have a doubt in my mind I can play much better than last year," said Joyner, who was born and raised in Atlanta. "I am healthy now. There was some speculation that I've lost it, I'm too old, and I welcome that because it gives me incentive to prove everybody wrong.

"I told my wife, `If this trade would have happened two years ago or last year, I don't know if I'd be excited about it because of my health.' I'm as healthy as I've been in a long time, if not 100 percent."

Joyner, Veras and Sanders get to continue working with batting coach Merv Rettenmund, who joined the Braves in the offseason after spending nine seasons with the Padres.

Joyner batted .248 with just five homers last year.

Klesko and Boone combined for 41 homers last year while Joyner and the switch-hitting Veras combined for just 11. Although Veras had career-highs with a .280 average and 95 runs scored, his on-base percentage of .368 was lower than Klesko's .376. Klesko's slugging percentage was .532 compared to Joyner's .350.

"We've gotten a little bit slower, but we've added more offense," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "We've gone from more of a speed club to probably a club that's more of a power-type club."

The left-handed Klesko has 20 or more homers in four of the last five seasons, including 34 in 1996.

Sanders, who led the Padres with 26 homers and 36 stolen bases, came to the Padres in February in a money-saving deal with Cincinnati for Greg Vaughn, who was coming off a 50-homer season. Vaughn played one season with the Reds and then signed as a free agent earlier this month with Tampa Bay.

Following an All-Star and Gold Glove-winning season, Boone was traded from the Reds to Atlanta in December 1998 in a five-player deal that sent left-hander Denny Neagle and outfielder Michael Tucker to Cincinnati.

By getting Veras, who had 30 stolen bases last year, and Sanders, "we have substantially improved the upper half of our lineup," Schuerholz said.

The cost-cutting Padres are relieved of just under $1 million in salary. Joyner will make $3,375,000 and Sanders $3.7 million. Veras is arbitration-eligible, and the Padres feared he'd win a salary of $3 million or more.

Klesko will make $5.75 million next season and $6.5 million in 2001. Boone will make $3.75 million next season, with a club option for $4 million in 2001.