San Diego ? San Diego traded outfielder Terrence Long to Kansas City for lefty Darrell May and right-hander Ryan Bukvich on Monday.

The Royals also obtained right-hander Dennis Tankersley.

The trade relieves the Royals of their most divisive player and could shore up one of their biggest needs: speed and offense at the outfield corner.

May had a 5.61 ERA in 2004 with nine wins and 19 losses, which led the majors and tied a club record. The left-hander infuriated fans and teammates when he blamed his troubles on poor run support and the bullpen.

May will give the Padres a starter who has averaged closed to 200 innings the last two seasons. Bukvich appeared in nine games for the Royals last season, going 0-0 with a 3.68 ERA and one save.

Long, 27, is a left-handed hitter who batted a career-best .295 with three home runs and 28 RBIs. Kansas City’s platoon system in left field last year batted less than .220.

Long has a .268 career average in 741 major league games after making his debut with the New York Mets in 1999 and spending four seasons with Oakland.

Tankersley, of St. Charles, Mo., was the Padres 2001 minor league pitcher of the year after going a combined 10-4 with a 1.98 ERA. In 27 major league games he is 1-10 with a 7.61 ERA,

Last season, Tankersley went 0-5 with a 5.14 ERA in nine games.

May, despite his problems, led the Royals in wins and innings pitched for the second consecutive season. He threw 186 innings last season and 210 in 2003, when he was 10-8. Over parts of six big league seasons with four teams, May has a career record of 25-39.