BRADENTON, Fla. - Not again.

That's the first thing that went through Matt Lawton's mind when the outfielder was traded from Cleveland to the Pittsburgh Pirates in December - just when the Indians looked ready to turn a corner and contend.

"Just seems like the last couple years that's the way my luck has gone," Lawton said, smiling.

Call him baseball's Mr. Fix-It.

Got a young team in transition? The former Twin is your veteran to help keep things steady until the kids mature and take over.

He first did it first in Minnesota, until he eventually became the first in the long line of core players to depart after the Twins turned the corner four years ago - followed out the door by David Ortiz, A.J. Pierzynski, Eric Milton, Eddie Guardado, LaTroy Hawkins, Denny Hocking, Doug Mientkiewicz, Cristian Guzman and Corey Koskie.

He came through the system during the tough times in the 1990s, became an established player good enough to handle the No. 3 spot in the order for a lineup of rookies, became an all-star in 2000 and was still young enough to be affordable into 2001.

"He was big for us," said Twins outfielder Jacque Jones, who broke in under Lawton's wing in 1999 and since grown into the player expected to be the next core player to move on. "He was like a big brother to me."

But then came the Twins' renaissance. And out went Lawton - traded in July 2001 to the New York Mets for pitcher Rick Reed.

The Mets turned around and traded him after the season to Cleveland, where the Indians had just won their sixth division title in seven years, gave him the first long-term contract of his career - and then started rebuilding.

"That was a little bit of a disappointment," said Lawton, who remains close to several Twins. "But at the same time I was, too."

A shoulder injury limited him to 213 games combined in 2002-03, with batting averages of .236 and .249. But he rebounded to complete health last year for a .277 season, that included 20 homers, 23 stolen bases, a career-high 109 runs scored and his second all-star selection.

"I got back on track last year," Lawton, 33, said. "I feel like I'm a better player now than I was in Minnesota."

And so was Cleveland. After making a run toward the top of the division late in the season, the Indians faded down the stretch, but they left 2004 with designs on the 2005 American League Central championship.

Which could only mean one thing for Lawton.

He was traded for left-handed reliever Arthur Rhodes in December.

And found himself back at the bottom, now part of a team trying to produce its first winning season in more than a decade.

"Being here in Pittsburgh is a lot like the situations when I played in Minnesota and Cleveland," he said, laughing at what seems to be his major league destiny.

If there's a difference this time around, he expects to have more say about where he goes next. He'll be a free agent at the end of the year.

"That's something new to me," he said. "If I go out and have a good year, who knows? Could be the opportunity of a lifetime."

Until then, he knows the drill. And he even seems to embrace it.

"I love playing with young guys," he said. "It makes me go out and play even harder. Makes me feel like I'm young, too."