Padres Make Offers to Free-Agent Pitchers Hurst, Moore

The Padres have made formal offers to free-agent pitchers Bruce Hurst, a left-hander who was instrumental in Boston’s American League East Division championships in 1986 and 1988, and Mike Moore, a right-hander who was 17-10 with Seattle in 1985 before falling under .500 in each of the past 3 years.

Both players were offered multi-year contracts. Terms were not disclosed.

“Both parties certainly received the offers well,” Dick Freeman, the Padres’ acting president, said Wednesday. “The offers are very competitive in both cases, with offers that are already on the table.”

Freeman made the offers to Nick Lampros, Hurst’s agent, and to Ron Shapiro, who represents Moore.

The Padres are the only team other than the Red Sox to make an offer to Hurst, who already has rejected a Boston offer reported to be $4.5 million for 2 years with an option for a third; he wants a guaranteed 3-year contract, reportedly for close to $2 million per year.

Last spring, Hurst declined to sign a 2-year, $2.4 million contract extension.

The St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers, in addition to Seattle, are known to have made offers to Moore. The Mariners have offered Moore $3 million for 3 years, but the pitcher recently said that option was no longer in the top 2.

In August, Moore rejected a Seattle package of 2 years plus an option year.

Moore has said he would like a multi-year contract with a team that has a chance of winning this year and would like to make a decision by Christmas.

“It’s not an easy situation,” Freeman said. “We’re in competition with other interested teams, as well as with the teams each player played with last season.

“We’re positive, but we’re a long way from having them signed.”

Freeman said the Padres’ next move is to wait. According to Freeman, Lampros and Shapiro said they would review the offers with their clients and get back to the club this week.

Neither Lampros nor Shapiro was available for comment Wednesday night.

Hurst, 30, was 18-6 with a 3.66 earned-run average this past season. The 18 victories were the most in a season by a Red Sox left-hander since Bill Lee went 17-9 in 1975. Hurst also moved past Lee into second place on Boston’s all-time list of victories by a left-hander at Fenway Park (56).

In Hurst’s 9-year major league career (7 full seasons), he is 88-73.

Moore, who turns 29 a week from Saturday, was 9-15 with a 3.78 ERA in 1988. He threw 23 consecutive scoreless innings last season after rebounding from a slow start. At the All-Star break, he was 3-7 with a 5.17 ERA.

In his 6-year major league career (4 full seasons), Moore is 66-96.

Jack McKeon, the Padre general manager/manager who is vacationing in Hawaii, said 2 1/2 weeks ago that he would like to acquire a couple of pitchers this winter--preferably an experienced left-hander to add balance to a current rotation of Ed Whitson, Eric Show, Dennis Rasmussen, newly acquired Walt Terrell and Andy Hawkins (currently a free agent), all right-handers.

Hurst has pitched effectively in Fenway Park, a stadium notoriously tough on left-handers.

“I talked with Jack this morning, and he’s very supportive of these offers,” Freeman said. “We’re on the same wavelength.”

Freeman didn’t rule out the possibility that the Padres may bid on other free agents this winter.

“We have some interest in a couple of players, but haven’t made a decision yet,” he said.

He refused to say who those players are.

Freeman also said the Padres are no closer to signing their own free agents, Hawkins and shortstop Garry Templeton. No formal talks are scheduled with representatives of Hawkins or Templeton this week.