Thurmond, Padres Settle Without Aid of Arbitrator

Pitcher Mark Thurmond and the Padres agreed on a two-year contract Thursday morning, which means the San Diego club ended the arbitration season with a 1-0 record.

Only center fielder Kevin McReynolds took the Padres to an arbitrator. And he lost. Thurmond, a 29-year-old left-hander, and three others (catcher Bruce Bochy, pitcher Roy Lee Jackson and infielder Mario Ramirez) were eligible for hearings but settled beforehand.

Thurmond was last. His hearing was set for today in Chicago, and McKeon had planned to take a 1 p.m. flight Thursday. But McKeon said he and Thurmond’s agent, Alan Hendricks of Houston, chatted on the phone until 11:45 Wednesday night and then again at 7:30 Thursday morning.

Agreement came at about 10:25 a.m.

Neither Hendricks nor Thurmond could be reached for comment. But sources said Thurmond will earn between $250,000 and $260,000 in 1986. Had it gone to a hearing, the arbitrator would have decided between what Thurmond sought ($340,000) and what the Padres offered ($225,000).

Thurmond split time last season as a starter and reliever. He had a 7-11 record with a 3.97 earned-run average. The year before he was 14-8 and with a 2.97 ERA.