Padres Get Gardner for 2 Minor Leaguers

The Padres, while bidding adieu to Boston-bound first baseman Jack Clark, completed a trade Saturday with the Red Sox when they acquired right-handed pitcher Wes Gardner.

Gardner, 29, was acquired for two minor leaguers--first baseman-outfielder Steve Hendricks and left-handed pitcher Brad Hoyer. He is expected to be the Padres’ primary setup man in the bullpen.

“I really like his stuff,” said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager. “He never really nailed down a role in Boston, and he had some personal problems with marriages, but I think with a change of scenery he can be effective.

“I definitely think a setup spot is his best role.”

Gardner was arrested and jailed in 1989 for assaulting his second wife in a Baltimore hotel. They since have reconciled.

Primarily a fastball-slider pitcher, Gardner started nine games and pitched in 34 games for the Red Sox. He was 3-7 with a 4.89 ERA last season, yielding 77 hits in 77 1/3 innings, walking 35 and striking out 58.

He was drafted by McIlvaine in 1982 when he was with the New York Mets, and then traded after the 1985 season in an eight-player deal that brought the Mets pitcher Bobby Ojeda. He missed virtually the entire 1986 season with torn cartilage in his right shoulder, and his best season came in 1988 when he was 8-6 with a 3.50 ERA and two saves.

Gardner earned a base salary of $360,000 this past season and made an additional $140,000 in incentives. He is eligible for arbitration and can become a free agent at the end of the season.

Hendricks, 25, batted .289 with 11 homers and 90 RBIs for th Padres’ Class A team in Riverside this past season. Hoyer, 25, was 7-4 with a 2.28 ERA in 51 games at Class A Waterloo. Both players were left unprotected in the major-league draft.

McIlvaine said that he still is attempting to acquire free-agent reliever Larry Andersen as his right-handed bullpen stopper. But McIlvaine now is pessimistic about the Padres’ chances of signing free-agent starter Danny Darwin and still is unsure of their interest in right-handed reliever Dave Smith.

Meanwhile, Clark agreed to terms Saturday morning with the Red Sox to a three-year contract that will guarantee him at least $8.7 million and could pay him as much as $10.2 million. Clark, 35, will receive an extra $500,000 each season if he makes 550 plate appearances.

“Clark’s the cleanup hitter we wanted,” Red Sox Manager Joe Morgan said. “He should hit between 20 and 30 home runs, and can DH and play some first base and maybe in the outfield if needed. He’s a terrific addition to our team.”

The Red Sox have been searching for a cleanup hitter since outfielder Jim Rice began slumping in 1987. Nick Esasky filled the role in 1989, but left the team as a free agent to Atlanta after the season.

“We’re delighted to obtain an impact player like Jack Clark,” said Lou Gorman, Red Sox general manager. “He’s one of the outstanding power hitters available in baseball today.”

Clark owns a career .270 batting average with 307 career home runs and 1,060 RBIs. He has hit at least 20 home runs in 10 of his 14 seasons.

“I couldn’t be happier,” said Clark, who Monday will take a flight to Boston for a house-hunting trip. “This is going to be a perfect fit.”

Because Clark was a Type A free agent, the Padres will receive a pick between the first and second rounds of the 1991 June free-agent draft.