Santiago Takes an Early Rip : Padres: Catcher airs salary complaint. McIlvaine, Whitson meet to clear air on first day of spring training.

There was catcher Benito Santiago in one corner of the clubhouse Tuesday, telling reporters how the Padres have wronged him. There was outfielder Tony Gwynn, losing a bet to his wife and kids by showing up early once again. And there was a stretcher lying in front of Larry Andersen’s locker, courtesy of his fun-loving teammates, who believed the veteran might need assistance for his weary body.

It was the opening day of spring training for the Padres’ pitchers and catchers, and although the regime and many of the names have changed, contract talks again found their way to the center of attention.

Santiago, who lost his arbitration case and will receive $1.65 million this season, told reporters the Padres are crazy for not meeting his salary demand of $17.5 million over four years. They’ll pay the price, he said, when he leaves the Padres in two years as a free agent.

“I don’t think I’ll be back,” he said. “If I go on the free-agent market, I’m going to have some teams that want me, and give me the money I want.”

Said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager: “We’ll take that chance.”

Padre starter Ed Whitson took his turn at the negotiating table when he met privately for 30 to 45 minutes with McIlvaine, asking for a contract extension. He was told by McIlvaine that perhaps the situation would be examined during the season, but certainly not now.

“I think we got a few things cleared up,” Whitson said. “He knows how I feel. And I know how he feels. I think it’ll work out where both sides are happy.”

McIlvaine said: “I don’t see a major problem there. To me, I’d just as soon make it a dead issue. I want to concentrate on baseball.”

Santiago also revealed that he’d just as soon forget all about his contractual woes, but for at least one day, he divulged his anger and bitterness with the Padre organization.

“They’ve been playing games with me,” Santiago said. “They make it tough on me. They didn’t even try to work anything out.

“I have no problems with San Diego. I like San Diego. I want to play in San Diego. But I’m upset with (the front office) for taking me to arbitration.

“I don’t know what they’re doing. I don’t understand it. If they don’t want to pay the kind of money it takes to keep me here, then why did they trade Sandy Alomar and not me? Then they wouldn’t have this problem.”

The Padres traded Alomar two years ago to the Cleveland Indians in a package for outfielder Joe Carter. Now, instead of having two of the best catchers in baseball, Santiago predicts, the Padres might be left with none.

“There’s no catchers like me,” Santiago said. “I can hit. I can run. I can hit with power. I can drive in runs. And I can play behind the plate.

“I don’t have to show anybody what I can do. I’ve done it the last four years. What do I need to do, be MVP of the league?”

Santiago, whose $17.5-million salary request was countered by the Padres’ $11-million offer, also attempted to justify his request. It’s a simple case of supply and demand, he said. He believes he’s the best catcher in the game, and has the hardware to prove it with three Gold Gloves, three Silver Slugger awards and two All-Star selections.

“I know $11 million for four years is a lot of money,” Santiago said, “but it’s not fair to make $2.5 million. Hey, the superstar players make $3.5 million. The average star make more than $2 million. And everyone makes more than $1 million.

“How many superstars are making $1.65 million? Nobody.

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s a lot of money. Never in my life did I think I’d live to make that kind of money. But I’m not an average player. I don’t deserve that kind of thing.”

And yes, when the subject wasn’t money, there really were players at camp talking and playing baseball. The Padres, trying to shed all of last year’s memories, took the field at 9 a.m. (PST) in their quest to prove their critics wrong.

The Padres are being picked by most prognosticators to be a fourth- or fifth-place club, but if Tuesday was any indication, Padre Manager Greg Riddoch is going to make sure that this team won’t be making the silly mistakes of a year ago. They went over fundamentals so often, running wherever they went, that a few players left the clubhouse wondering if they’d be able to make it back for another day.

“This is probably the hardest first day of camp I’ve had in my 20 years,” said Andersen, 37. “I asked the trainer what time he gets to the ballpark in the morning, and he said 7 a.m. I told him to stop by my room to help get me out of bed. I better tell him again. I think he thought I was kidding, but I’m really not.

“This is unbelievable. If we’re starting at this pace, what are we going to build up to? Watch out, Carl Lewis.”

Andersen, who was acquired as a free agent in the off-season, is one of only a handful of Padre players who actually have a guaranteed spot on the pitching staff. He’ll be sharing the stopper’s role with Craig Lefferts, but the rest of the bullpen is anyone’s guess.

The starting rotation appears to be set for the top four spots with Bruce Hurst, Whitson, Andy Benes and Greg Harris, but the fifth and last spot is wide-open. Although Dennis Rasmussen seems to be the leading candidate, Riddoch said that at least four other pitchers will be given an opportunity to win the spot--much to Rasmussen’s indignation. If Rasmussen does not win the job, he likely will be released or traded since his contract is not guaranteed.

In the field, Fred McGriff is set at first, Tony Fernandez is at shortstop, Gwynn is in right, Bip Roberts will be somewhere, and it’s anyone’s guess for third base, second base, left field and center field.

“Second base may be a key to answering all of the questions,” Riddoch said.

If Marty Barrett wins the starting second-base job, Roberts will either play third base or left field. And if Jim Presley anchors third base, Roberts will be in left field, leaving the platoon of Jerald Clark and Oscar Azocar on the bench. The center field job belongs to Shawn Abner, with Thomas Howard and Darrin Jackson available if Abner falters.

“I don’t think anyone around here knows where anyone’s playing,” Andersen said, “but I look around this room and see as much talent as any team I’ve been on since the Phillies in ’83.

“But we’ve got to loosen things up around here. Everyone’s so serious and so tense. To me, that’s not the way it should be. I’m not going to die and drive myself nuts. It’s crazy.”

Said reliever Calvin Schiraldi, listening nearby to Andersen’s groans: “Come on, ready for a run?”

Andersen: “The only thing I got energy for is a beer run.”

It was about this time that Gwynn entered the Padre clubhouse, driving straight from San Diego without checking into his hotel room, and looking for the nearest batting cage.

“The kids were trying to get me to stay home for a few more days,” Gwynn said, “but I just couldn’t do it. It’s time to go to work. And I can’t wait to get started.”

Padre Notes

GM Joe McIlvaine, evaluating the Padres for the season: “The one guy I really think we’re going to miss is Jack Clark. Giving my choice, I’d have him hitting fifth in the lineup. Really, I’m sorry we couldn’t keep him.” . . . Said Benito Santiago: “A lot of people in San Diego think Jack’s a bad guy. I miss that guy in the clubhouse. He helped me a lot. It’s tough to lose guys like him and Fred Lynn. On the field, you can lose guys like that, but not in the clubhouse. . . . Padre pitching coach Mike Roarke, who spent the past seven years with the St. Louis Cardinals, upon greeting Tony Gwynn: “Oh, man, it’s going to be nice not trying to get you out this year.” . . . Rafael Valdez, who has visa problems in the Dominican Republic, was the only no-show among the pitchers and catchers. . . . Reliever Craig Lefferts was hit in the left thumb during batting practice, but is not expected to miss any workouts. . . . Just what was McIlvaine’s attire for his first day of spring training as the Padres’ general manager? He was wearing a Bill Cosby T-shirt, courtesy of Padre chairman Tom Werner, of course.