Padre Coach Dobson Going to Kansas City

Pat Dobson will be announced today as pitching coach of the Kansas City Royals and will leave the Padres after spending the past three years with them in the same capacity.

Dobson, who had one year left on his Padre contract but was permitted by Chairman Tom Werner to contact other teams, has signed a one-year contract for about $80,000, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

Also Wednesday, the Padres did not exercise the option on pitcher Eric Show’s contract by the required deadline, apparently allowing him to become a free agent.

Under terms of Show’s contract, the Padres had to exercise the option by Oct. 10 or pay a $250,000 buyout. If the option had been exercised, they were obligated to provide him arbitration rights, under which he could file for between $1.1 million and $1.7 million.

Show, the team’s all-time pitching leader with 100 victories, said Wednesday that he had not been contacted by the Padres and assumed that he was a free agent. The Padres refused comment but said an announcement will be made today.

“I’d rather leave anyway, if you want to know the truth,” Show said. “All I can say is if they do, I hope the (buyout) check comes fast.”

It’s interesting that Dobson and Show are departing on the same day, considering their stormy relationship during a season in which each was critical of the other.

“I think this is going to be a great situation,” Dobson said. “It’s really going to be a breath of fresh air, after everything that’s happened in San Diego. It was really time to go. You know, with Joe McIlvaine (new general manager) coming in, who knows, he probably wanted to bring in some of his own people, anyway.

“But this, I think, will be an ideal situation.”

Dobson will be joining a staff that includes a two-time Cy Young award winner (starter Bret Saberhagen), a one-time Cy Young winner (reliever Mark Davis), a former 20-game winner (Mark Gubicza) and a former 19-game winner (Storm Davis).

“Hopefully, we’ll start accomplishing some things,” Dobson said, “and have these guys start pitching up to their potential.”

Certainly, one of the primary reasons for hiring Dobson was to reunite him with Mark Davis, who won the Cy Young in 1989 with the Padres. Davis struggled miserably this season, saving only seven games, and was demoted to middle relief.

“It’s funny,” Dobson said, “I got a call from MD (Davis) today, because he had heard the rumors I might be coming. He’s as excited as I am. He told me, ‘You remember how you would come to the mound and say it’s not a life-or-death situation, well, that’s exactly what happened to us this year.

“ ‘Guys would come to the mound and thought it was life or death, and nobody would think it’s life, and nobody would tell them differently.”

The Royals finished sixth in the AL with a lofty 3.93 ERA. The trio of Saberhagen, Gubicza and Storm Davis also had a miserable season, combining for only 16 victories and each spent time on the disabled list.

“That’ll change,” Dobson said. “I guarantee you.”

Dobson’s departure leaves two vacancies on the Padre coaching staff. Sandy Alomar, the third-base coach, was fired Tuesday.

Jon Matlack, the Padres’ double-A pitching coach in Wichita, and Larry Rothschild, bullpen coach of the Cincinnati Reds, are considered the leading candidates to replace Dobson. Although Rothschild signed a one-year contract for 1991 with the Reds for about $62,000, Manager Lou Piniella said Wednesday that he’d allow Rothschild to leave for the Padres.

The leading contender for Alomar’s job is Tom Runnells, the Montreal Expos’ third-base coach. Runnells is also Padre Manager Greg Riddoch’s neighbor and best friend in Greeley, Colo.

Riddoch is on a fishing trip and unavailable for comment, but he’s expected to announce Monday if he’ll retain the remainder of the coaching staff, as expected.