Padres Acquire Costello From Expos

It is hardly considered a blockbuster, but Joe McIlvaine pulled off his first trade as Padre general manager Friday when he acquired right-handed reliever John Costello of the Montreal Expos for minor league reliever Brian Harrison.

“We’re pretty bare from the right side of the bullpen since we want to put Greg Harris in the starting rotation,” McIlvaine said. “If you can’t get a No. 1 guy, sometimes you throw three or four guys against the wall, and hope one sticks.

“That’s what we may have to do.”

Costello, 29, who was 5-2 with a 1.81 earned-run average for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1989, was traded April 23 to the Montreal Expos. He then was placed on the disabled list April 30 with a groin injury, and one week after returning May 20, went on the DL again with an inflamed right shoulder. He finished the season with an 0-0 record and 5.91 ERA with the Cardinals and Expos, and was 0-3 with a 7.04 ERA in 22 games with the Expos’ triple-A Indianapolis team.

“He had some physical problems last year,” McIlvaine said, “but he finished strong. Mike Roarke (Padre pitching coach) had him in St. Louis, and we think he’s capable of surprising some people.”

Harrison, 23, was 5-2 with a 1.25 ERA and 17 saves for the Padres’ Class-A Riverside team in the California League. He was assigned to the Expos’ Indianapolis team.

“We just didn’t see him fitting in our plans,” McIlvaine said.