Padres Sport New Look

The familiar scent of cigar smoke, which has hovered over the Padre camp the past decade, is infiltrating another lobby at major league baseball’s annual winter meetings.

It’s Saturday afternoon, the unofficial opening day of trade season, so where else would you expect to find Jack McKeon, the man they call Trader?

For weeks now, McKeon has been jotting players’ names on notebook pads, talking to scouts and club officials, preparing for the most grandiose week of baseball that doesn’t include a game.

It’s where deals are made that can make or break a team. It’s where McKeon once made a deal while standing in the checkout line of a hotel. It’s where McKeon last year picked up outfielder Joe Carter and signed free agents Craig Lefferts and Fred Lynn all in the span of 13 hours.

“The funny thing is that I’ve been sitting around the last few weeks still making deals,” McKeon said, “but I have nobody to make them for.”

For the first time since 1949, McKeon is out of professional baseball. He is affiliated with no team. He has no job. He has nowhere to go since being fired in September as general manager of the Padres.

“I figured this is where I belong, anyway,” McKeon said. “It’ll give me a chance to talk baseball again. Maybe I’ll be a trade broker, you know, consulting for teams. Who knows, maybe even the Padres will be asking for advice.”

Actually, McKeon’s primary purpose, he said, will be to help find jobs for several of the 31 front-office personnel who were fired in wake of McKeon’s dismissal. Also attending the meetings will be Bill Beck, former assistant general manager; Tom Romenesko, former director/player personnel; Bill McKeon, former scout; and Jack Krol, former minor league manager.

“This is the thing that irritates me most,” McKeon said. “These were good people who were fired simply because they shook hands with me or said hello to me. It was like whoever knew me was axed.

“Who knows, maybe it was all a blessing in disguise. In the long run, the ownership will find out where the problems are, and I guarantee you, it wasn’t on the baseball side.”

There’s a new kid on the Padres’ block now, and his name is Joe McIlvaine. While McKeon treated the winter meetings as Santa Claus, daring to bring home anything and everything, McIlvaine is perceived as the grinch who stole Christmas. The disparities between the two general managers are staggering:

--McKeon, 60, is the focus of attention at these meetings, telling the world what he wants to do, instructing ownership to keep their checkbooks ready; McIlvaine, 43, works in quiet, mysterious ways, and is more interested in a $20,000 prospect than a $20 million free agent.

--McKeon creates illusions of grandeur, providing hope for a championship season; McIlvaine promises nothing, vowing only that the Padres will be competitive.

--McKeon, if still general manager, undoubtedly would be talking about the prospects of signing free agents such as center fielder Willie McGee, pitcher Bob Welch and third baseman Terry Pendleton; McIlvaine is talking publicly about no one.

--McKeon used minor-league players as trade bait, willing to trade any of them for a veteran; McIlvaine treasures his farm system and wants the minor leagues to be the foundation of the Padre future.

McKeon, 60, wears pullover shirts, casual slacks and smokes cigars; McIlvaine, 43, wears dark, pin stripe suits and doesn’t smoke.

Two different men. Two different personalities. And two vastly different philosophies.

How times have changed.

McIlvaine, although still residing in New York until moving out to Del Mar in January, can hear the grumblings 3,000 miles away from Padre fans. He’s recognizes that this is new to them. He realizes that they’re accustomed to big talk, big plans, and big predictions.

Sorry, he’s not going to change.

“Jack wants to be the center of attention all of the time,” McIlvaine said, “that’s just not my style. My style is not to be the focal point. The problem is that when you reveal your plans, then everybody expects you to do those things. I’ll try to get things done probably by trying to wear people down.”

If McKeon were still in charge, surely, the meetings would be different. But then again, McKeon firmly believes that the team he assembled a year ago is capable of vying for the National League West division title. McIlvaine believes differently.

“I think people have the perception that I’m pooh-poohing the free-agent market,” McIlvaine said, “but I’m not. I’m talking to agents. It’s just anybody who is a a Type A or Type B free agent requires us got give up our second-round draft choice, and I’m not willing to do that right now.

“If somebody signs a (Type) A or B player, he’s going to have to make a significant impact, and move a team up in the standings. And I’m not willing to go into the free-agent market and sign someone to be a role player or an extra player.

“I just won’t do it.”

McIlvaine instead has limited his free-agent talks with Type C players, whose signing would mean no forfeiture of draft picks. Perhaps the player with the biggest profile whom has attracted interest from the Padres is first baseman Sid Bream, formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“We’ve had preliminary discussions with the Padres,” said Mike Moye, Bream’s agent, “and have given them an idea of what Sid’s value should be. But the Padres might have trouble with the timing, and that’s where they’re in a bind.”

The Padres’ dilemma is the timing of the new-look free agent period for first baseman Jack Clark, which is expected to commence in January. The Padres have offered him a one-year, $2.5 million contract to stay, but are unwilling to provide him with a two-year deal. Clark finds it unacceptable, and if another team provides him with a multi-year contract during the new-look free agent period, Clark says he likely will leave.

“Here’s a guy who’s our first baseman and cleanup hitter,” McIlvaine said, “and you just don’t know what’s going to happen. The timing is unfair. The free-agency period should have been resolved already. It’s tough to go out and make other plans.

“I could sign Sid Bream, sure, but with Jack Clark stays with us. Then what are we going to do, platoon them, and have two unhappy players? We’re going to have to wait.”

The Padres instead will focus on other pressing issues, such as finding a right-handed bullpen stopper to complement Craig Lefferts, coming up with a starting shortstop and looking to see what’s available at third base.

If unsuccessful, McIlvaine said, a starting pitcher, perhaps Mike Dunne, likely will be converted into a reliever; Garry Templeton will remain the starting shortstop; and Bip Roberts will be the everyday third baseman.

But even though there certainly are not any right-handed relievers available that are going to have fans making a mad rush for the season-ticket window, there are some intriguing possibilities at shortstop and third base.

Shortstop candidates: Shawon Dunston, Chicago Cubs; Gary Sheffield, Milwaukee; Jose Uribe, San Francisco; and Omar Vizquel, Seattle.

Third-base candidates: Ken Caminiti, Houston; Craig Worthington, Baltimore; Brook Jacoby, Cleveland; and Jack Howell, Angels.

“The trouble is there’s not a whole lot we have back to offer,” McIlvaine said. “When I was with the Mets, we had a cavalry of players to trade. I don’t have that cavalry here.”

The Padres have already informed clubs that there are certain players they just refuse to deal: right fielder Tony Gwynn, left fielder Joe Carter, catcher Benito Santiago, second baseman Roberto Alomar and starting pitchers Andy Benes, Bruce Hurst, Ed Whitson and Greg Harris. And unless McIlvaine is overwhelmed, Roberts and Lefferts aren’t going anywhere, either.

Is there a miracle that awaits?

“You never know what you’re going to come up with,” McIlvaine said. “I remember in the ’83 winter meetings, we had Carlos Diaz coming off a career year, and we went to talk to the Dodgers. This is when Steve Howe had the drug problem, and they badly needed a left-handed reliever. And we really liked Sid Fernandez.

“We walked into the Dodgers’ suite, and I looked at (Al) Campanis, and said, ‘Al, how about if we trade your Hawaiian for our Hawaiian.’ Campanis looked at us funny, and then kicked us out.

“Well, 20 minutes later Tommy Lasorda calls us and tells us to come back to the room. Tommy apparently convinced Al that he had to have a left-hander, and this was the guy he wanted. A couple hours later, it was a done deal.”

Diaz’s career was over three seasons later; Fernandez since has won 78 games, and is considered one of the league’s finest left-handed starters.

He’ll likely never be called Trader, and a cigar won’t be found in his mouth, but McIlvaine may be all right.

“I think he’s a good man for the job,” McKeon said. “If anyone was going to replace me, I’m glad it’s him. You know, it’s funny, in hindsight, I never should have left the field at the (All-Star) break. I was doing what I thought was best for the club, and look where it could have got me.

“We would have been a pretty good team, me and Joe. We would have worked out well together. I think we would have gotten a lot of things accomplished.

“I just hope they let Joe go about his job without interference, or he’s going to find the same problems I did, believe me.”