Padres Say They Would Pass on Keith Hernandez

There’s one flaw in first baseman Keith Hernandez’s plan to join the Padres.

The Padres don’t want Hernandez, who was informed Tuesday by the New York Mets that he would not be returning to them.

Perhaps a year ago, the Padres would have welcomed Hernandez with open arms. But not now. Not after acquiring first baseman Jack Clark last October.

“I just don’t see where he’d fit in on our club,” said Tony Siegle, Padre vice president of personnel. “It’s not like we have a DH (designated hitter) in our league. He’d be as asset to some club, but not ours.

“We’ve got Clark, and he’ll be around for at least another year. So picking up Hernandez just wouldn’t make sense at this point.”

Hernandez, who had told friends he’d like to play for the Padres even before the Mets told him they would not offer him a new contract, hit only .233 with four homers and 19 RBIs while battling injuries all season.

Clark, who has one more year on his contract that will pay him $2 million in 1990, hit .242 with 26 homers and 94 RBIs.

“You can talk about his strikeouts, his slow start, or whatever you want, but Jack Clark’s a real leader, “ Padre Manager Jack McKeon said. “He helped me out tremendously over the season, and he’ll be a big part of our team in 1990.”