BALTIMORE -- The high-payroll Orioles took the first steps toward rebuilding for the future by trading veterans Will Clark and B.J. Surhoff before Monday's trade deadline.

	Surhoff

	Clark

The St. Louis Cardinals, eager to get a left-handed bat and a fill-in for the injured Mark McGwire, obtained Clark for third baseman Jose Leon.

The Braves added a potent left-handed bat to their lineup, obtaining Surhoff and reliever Gabe Molina from Baltimore Orioles for outfielder Trenidad Hubbard, pitcher Luis Rivera and catcher Fernando Lunar.

McGwire went on the disabled list July 6 with pain in his right knee and hasn't played since, missing the All-Star game. Before Monday, the Cardinals were 7-13 without him.

Clark was hitting .301 with nine homers and 28 RBI in 79 games with Baltimore. Since June 13, he hit .323 with eight homers and 20 RBIs in 36 games.

"My going to St. Louis doesn't mean that Mark McGwire is not the man," said Clark, who played with McGwire on the 1984 United States Olympic team. "I'm just sort of holding down the fort until the big guy comes back."

The Cardinals are certainly a better team with McGwire in the lineup, but there's no telling when he will get back. Until he does, St. Louis has some insurance in Clark.

"There's some uncertainty about Mark," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "We think he's got a chance to come back, but in the meantime Will Clark's a winning-type of veteran. He should help us."

Clark, 36, started his major league career in 1986 with San Francisco. He was in his second season with the Orioles and in the final year of a two-year contract.

Ideally, McGwire returns sometime soon. Until that happens, La Russa will be happy to plug Clark into the lineup.

"Will's a veteran who plays well and knows how to come up and get a base hit in a key situation," La Russa said. "He's a very competitive guy. That's a heck of a coup for us. I hope Mark comes back, and then we can work them both in there together. But right now, it really helps us."

The Orioles also sent cash to the Cardinals as part of the trade.

Leon, 23, hit .269 in 90 games for Double-A Arkansas. He will be assigned to the Orioles' Double-A team in Bowie.

The deal was one of five by the Orioles in the span of four days, most of which involved trading veterans for players with potential. The purge began with a trade that sent Mike Bordick to the New York Mets for Melvin Mora and three prospects.

Clark, like Bordick, leaves a fourth-place team for one in contention.

"You flat-out look at the numbers and say I'm going from a ball club that's basically in a rebuilding stage now -- there's no way to say anything other than that -- to a first-place ball club," Clark said. "That first-place ball club, as Mike Bordick can attest, puts a little energy back in your system. I've been in the playoffs before and I'm really looking forward to getting back in them again. And I'm happy."

Clark, who has never been traded in the middle of a season, played in the 1989 World Series with San Francisco. But his only two trips to the postseason in the 1990s came in '96 and '98 with the Texas Rangers, who were eliminated in the first round.

"It's always a boost knowing somebody wants you, but it's also a boost going to a contender," he said. "There's nothing better than a pennant race. And I'm looking forward to getting right back in the middle of one."

Meanwhile, in Surhoff, the Braves added a left-handed hitter who is batting .293 with 27 doubles, 13 homers and 57 RBI. He has played in all 103 games and owns the longest consecutive games streak in the majors at 427.

Surhoff was the subject of trade talks with a variety of teams, including the New York Yankees, but the Braves won the bidding war for the durable and competitive star by relenting on the Orioles' request for right-hander Luis Rivera.

"He was the key to the deal," said Syd Thrift, the Orioles vice president of baseball operations.

Surhoff has hit safely in 42 of his last 49 games.

"We felt like improving the offense of our ballclub, especially in the outfield, was something we needed to do," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said. "(Surhoff) is a very versatile player. He's been very productive offensively."

Surhoff played only four-plus seasons in Baltimore and was leaving a rebuilding club for one that is in first place. But tears welled up in Surhoff's eyes as he said goodbye to the city he called home.

"I just wouldn't have expected it to happen the way it happened," he said. "It's not that I don't want to play in Atlanta. I'm sure I'm going into a great situation and I know it's going to work out. I just thought I was going to be here."

Surhoff began his career in Milwaukee, and in 1995 thought long and hard before joining the Orioles as a free agent.

"I played my first nine years in one place and it was tough to leave them," he said. "I played my next four years here and had my best years. But there's a lot left in me."

Surhoff provides Braves manager Bobby Cox with yet another choice in the outfield.

"He's really team-oriented. He's high-quality and a still-good ballplayer at his age," Cox said.

Molina, 25, has bounced between the minors and the Orioles this season. He was 0-0 with a 9.00 in nine appearances.

But the key was Surhoff, who should fit right into the Braves' lineup.

"We've been really banged up lately. I think he's going to be a wonderful addition," the Braves' Bobby Bonilla said.

Hubbard, 34, hit .185 with one homer and six RBI in 60 games with the Braves.

Hubbard was visibly saddened to be leaving a first-place team for one in transition.

"I know they are not playing like the Braves, but they are a wonderful team," he said.

Rivera, 22, is 0-2 with an 8.06 ERA in eight games with Triple-A Richmond after missing two months with a right shoulder strain. He will be assigned to Triple-A Rochester.

Thrift loves his potential, saying the right-hander could be in the majors as soon as next year.

"The Atlanta Braves were relentless. They wouldn't give up Rivera," Thrift said. "So I told them this morning there would be no deal. ... He was regarded as untouchable.

"This is a pitcher John Schuerholz said he would never trade. At 3 o'clock, he changed his mind."

Lunar, 23, is in his seventh pro season. He hit .167 in 31 games with Double-A Greenville but also played in 22 games with Atlanta from May 5 to July 21, hitting .185 with five RBI.