01:00 AM EST on Sunday, April 2, 2006

One player who won't miss being in Boston is one who saw the 2004 World Series championship from the losing end -- Edgar Renteria.

Renteria, who played for the losing Cardinals in that Series, signed as a free agent with the Sox before 2005, but his season in Boston was an unhappy one. Although he hit .276 with 70 RBI, he also committed 30 errors -- more than any other player in the majors.

The Sox saw a player in decline and shipped him to the Braves. The move, Renteria admitted, made him "the happiest man of the offseason."

"I make no secret of being much happier [in the National League]," said Renteria, who added that he feels he "fits" with the Braves. "From the first day, I've felt comfortable here."

Contrary to his nickname -- "Steady Eddie" -- Renteria's 2005 was marked offensively by supreme inconsistency. He hit .228 in April before rebounding to hit .354 in May. He dropped back to .251 in June and July, but again rebounded to hit .342 in August. He slipped back to .224 in September.

"Anybody that has an average year [in Boston] is going to take heat," Atlanta manager Bobby Cox said. "We understand that. It's too bad because he's such a great player."

"Everybody knows how awesome he was in St. Louis and then he goes over to Boston, and Boston is a tough place to play," said Braves pitcher Tim Hudson. "Anybody can go there and struggle their first year."

Renteria admitted he was bothered by the fans' treatment of him.

"Nobody likes to get booed," Renteria said. "Maybe [it was] the fact they don't know nothing about me or they didn't believe I could play in the [American League]. But I know what I can do."