Dodgers Are Shopping Valenzuela, But Padres Aren’t Interested

The Dodgers have contacted the Padres in an attempt to trade pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager, confirmed Saturday.

However, McIlvaine said the Padres have little interest in Valenzuela and that a deal is highly unlikely.

“We just don’t have much interest in him,” McIlvaine said. “He’s on the downside of his career, not the upside. I’m going to go with the five starters we have.”

The Padres had several conversations with Valenzuela, 30, during the off-season when he became a free agent, but the team never made an offer.

“Our interest really hasn’t changed,” McIlvaine said.

Valenzuela was expected to be in the Dodger rotation at the outset of the season, but with the apparent recovery of Orel Hershiser, Valenzuela has become expendable.

The Padres, according to a source, have secretly worked out a deal with the New York Yankees that will allow them to keep pitcher Frank Seminara on their team, even if they send to the minor leagues.

The Padres selected Seminara, 23, in the Rule 5 draft during the winter meetings. The rules specify that any players selected in the draft must remain on the big-league roster the entire year or be offered back to their original team. The Padres, however, worked out an agreement with the Yankees that allows them to send Seminara to double-A Wichita.

The only catch in the Padres’ plan is that they must pass him through irrevocable waivers before sending him to Wichita, allowing any team to claim him for $20,000. Yet, if a team claims Seminara, the team must keep him on the major league roster.

McIlvaine would neither confirm or deny that arrangement with the Yankees.

The Padres were bitterly disappointed three months ago when they failed in their attempt to acquire free-agent pitcher Teddy Higuera. They offered him a three-year deal with an option year for about $13 million, according to sources, but lost out to the Milwaukee Brewers when they guaranteed the fourth year of the contract.

Considering Higuera now is suffering from a slight tear in the back of his rotator cuff and could be finished for the season, it might be the best money the Padres never spent.

“He had a history of that,” McIlvaine said, “that’s why we didn’t guarantee the fourth year. Even with three years, we thought it was gamble.”

Said Brewer starter Chris Bosio: “We lost one of the most premier pitchers in baseball. It’s like playing chess without your queen.”

Padre reliever Craig Lefferts received a scare Saturday in the Padres’ 5-3 victory over the Brewers when outfielder Matias Carrillo hit a one-hopper off Leffert’s left shin. Fortunately for Lefferts, the ball hit squarely on a muscle in his shin, and missed all bones. He was left, however, with a nasty welt that is expected to sideline him for two to three days.

Lefferts’ injury rushed reliever Larry Andersen into duty. He was allowed to take as much time as he needed warming up, but after several minutes, the crowd of 6,297 at Compadre Stadium started to boo, pleading for him to hurry.

“Can you believe it?” Andersen said. “These people in Chandler, Ariz., are telling me to hurry up, and let’s go. What are they going to do? Go to the dairy farm and milk the cows?”

Andersen, who was the winning pitcher, allowing one hit in 1 2/3 innings, once again managed to have his own problems before the game started. Yes, he drove to the ballpark on his own again. And yes, he had no idea of the team schedule.

“I got here at 9:30 in the morning,” Andersen said, “no one’s here, and I say, ‘Oh, no, here we go again.’ I thought I was in the wrong stadium. I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but I can’t wait to get back to Yuma.”

Padre Notes

Apparently, the show is over. Padre coach Jim Snyder has mandated that no one will be allowed to make head-first slides into first base unless absolutely necessary. It, of course, had been Bip Roberts’ trademark. . . . Padre starter Greg Harris, saying he’s making strides, allowed three hits and two earned runs in three innings. “I’m still not happy with the outcome,” said Harris, who allowed six earned runs in his last start, “but it’s an improvement.” . . . Craig Lefferts joined Harris on Saturday to become the latest to complain about being overworked in the first half of the 1990 season under Manager Jack McKeon. “I pushed myself too hard,” Lefferts said. “I pitched so much my arm became dead, and I couldn’t help the team like I wanted.”

Padre outfielder Jerald Clark, playing in only his third game since returning from a hamstring injury, went two for three with a home run off Ron Robinson. . . . Outfielder Shawn Abner, who has missed the past week with a strained hamstring, is expected to return today in a “B” game. . . . Starter Dennis Rasmussen, who has a tender left shoulder, pitched on the side for the first time since Wednesday. . . . The Padres are scheduled to play the Seattle Mariners at 12:05 p.m. (PST) today and will don green hats in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Ed Whitson, Derek Lilliquist and Brian Holton are the scheduled pitchers.