Wednesday, March 26, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
The big trade between the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians is the talk of baseball.
Though both teams talked about making major deals this spring, their swap Tuesday was a shocker -- Atlanta sent Marquis Grissom and David Justice to the Indians for Kenny Lofton and Alan Embree.
"This is a trade of enormous magnitude for two very, very good franchises," Indians general manager John Hart said. "We're talking about franchise-type players."
New York Yankees manager Joe Torre was intrigued.
"It's an interesting trade," he said. "I thought both clubs got quality players. Lofton is such a good player, you say 'Wow, he's out of our league."'
Boston Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette said the deal topped anything he discussed with Cleveland or Atlanta.
"We've had conversations with both of those teams," he said, "but not a trade of that caliber."
Clearly, there were considerations beyond the players' talents.
The Indians faced losing Lofton to free agency at the end of the season. The Braves saved $7.7 million off their projected $62 million payroll, highest in the majors.
Lofton and Grissom are regarded as the two best center fielders and leadoff hitters in baseball. Both are 29, and both are coming off outstanding seasons.
Lofton batted .317 last year, setting career highs with 210 hits and 75 stolen bases.
"I've done everything they've asked me to do in Cleveland, and I thought I would be rewarded. I guess they rewarded me by trading me to Atlanta," he said.
Grissom, a native of Atlanta who was acquired from Montreal in a trade before the 1995 season, batted .308 with 23 homers, 74 RBIs and 28 stolen bases.
Justice, 30, had his best season in 1993 with 40 homers and 120 RBIs. His home run gave Atlanta a 1-0 win over the Indians in the clinching Game 6 of the 1995 World Series, but he missed most of the 1996 season after dislocating his shoulder May 15.
"I'm in shock," Justice said. "If I was supposed to shed any tears, it was when I said goodbye to the guys."
* MARINERS 7, BREWERS 3: At Peoria, Ariz., Seattle's Randy Johnson pitched five innings in his longest outing of the spring.
* BRAVES 2, EXPOS 1: At West Palm Beach, Fla., Andruw Jones scored twice for Atlanta.
* PIRATES 6, RED SOX 4: At Fort Myers, Fla., Mark Johnson hit his seventh home run of the spring for Pittsburgh.
* METS 20, DODGERS 7: At Vero Beach, Fla., Carl Everett hit a grand slam in the first inning off Ismael Valdes, one of six home runs by New York.
* GIANTS 16, ANGELS 1: At Tempe, Ariz., San Francisco scored seven times in the second inning, highlighted by Jeff Kent's home run.
* ATHLETICS 9, ROCKIES 6: At Phoenix, Steve Karsay retired the first 13 batters and pitched six strong innings for Oakland.
* YANKEES 6, TWINS 4: At Tampa, Fla., Tino Martinez hit a two-run homer for New York.
* MARLINS 8, ORIOLES 5: At Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Pat Rapp pitched six innings of three-hit ball and Gregg Zaun homered and drove in three runs against his former team.
* INDIANS 2, BLUE JAYS 1: At Winter Haven, Fla., Chad Ogea allowed three hits in seven innings for Cleveland.
* PADRES 9, CUBS 4: At Mesa, Ariz., Steve Finley had four hits, including a home run, and scored three times for San Diego.
* REDS 6, TIGERS 1: At Plant City, Fla., Cincinnati starter Kent Mercker was hit in the left foot by a line drive. He's OK.
* ROYALS 9, ASTROS 3: At Haines City, Fla., Mike Macfarlane, Jay Bell and Michael Tucker hit home runs for Kansas City.
* CARDINALS 6, PHILLIES 3: At St. Petersburg, Fla., Willie McGee drove in three runs for St. Louis.
* WHITE SOX 8, RANGERS 7: At Sarasota, Fla., Lyle Mouton had three hits and drove in four runs for Chicago.
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