PADRES UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : Riddoch Can Keep Staff if Retained

Padre Manager Greg Riddoch will be allowed to retain his coaching staff if, as expected, he returns next season, said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager.

“It’s going to be his choice whom he wants to bring back,” McIlvaine said. “I won’t interfere. That’s his department.”

The decision to announce Riddoch’s fate, McIlvaine said, now likely will occur in the Padres’ final home stand.

Were he to fire Riddoch, would McIlvaine announce a decision before the end of the season?

“Unlikely,” McIlvaine said.

Although McIlvaine refuses to divulge his decision, Padre sources insist Riddoch will be offered a one-year contract extension at the end of the season.

“I would be absolutely shocked if Greg didn’t return,” said a source close to Padre chairman Tom Werner. “You’ve got to be impressed with what he’s done.”

McIlvaine praised Riddoch again Monday for the team’s play of late, particularly considering 18 players were called up from triple-A Las Vegas this season.

“I’ve never, ever brought up that many players in a season,” McIlvaine said. “I don’t think we even brought up that many the last five years combined.”

McIlvaine blames the standstill negotiations with No. 1 draft pick Joey Hamilton on agent Scott Boras. The general manager now questions how badly Hamilton really wants to pitch for the Padres.

“This issue is not money, it’s ego,” McIlvaine said, “and I don’t have one. We’ve done everything we can to sign him.”

McIlvaine said he twice has offered to meet with Hamilton in San Diego, once in Atlanta, and once in Hamilton’s hometown of Stateboro, Ga. Each time he has been rejected.

“When Boras is involved, it’s a whole different tactic,” McIlvaine said. “He refuses to let you talk one-on-one with anyone.”

The Padres, who have until Sept. 19 to sign Hamilton, originally offered Hamilton $350,000, and since have reduced their offer to $325,000. Hamilton is seeking $650,000.

Does McIlvaine realistically believe the Padres will sign Hamilton?

“If they say they’ll take, ‘$350,000,’ “McIlvaine said, “I’d say we have a chance. If they say, ‘$800,000,’ we won’t.

“We’ve been more than fair to him. We’re giving him the opportunity to play in the major leagues. It comes down to how much he really wants to play.”

While the Padres will be searching for outfield help in the off-season, they can not help but cringe at the play of Minnesota Twins outfielder Shane Mack, the winner of the latest Ex-Padre Player of the Week. Mack batted .476 with two homers and nine RBIs this past week, including two homers his second grand slam of the season.

The Padres have made plenty of strange trades and moves during their history in letting plenty of talent get away, but none may prove as great as letting Mack go.

All the Padres received from the Twins for Mack was $50,000. The Padres didn’t even bother protecting him on their 40-man roster during the 1989 winter meetings, and the Twins gladly grabbed him.

While the Padres have used seven different left fielders this season, and spent half the year wondering if Shawn Abner was the answer in center field, Mack has emerged as the Twins’ MVP the second half of the season.

Mack has driven in a team-high 38 runs since July 12, and is batting .366 during this stretch. Remarkably, 31 of his 69 hits have been for extra-bases during the time: 14 doubles, seven triples and 10 homers.

The Padres activated relief pitcher Larry Andersen and second baseman Bip Roberts from the disabled list Monday. Although Andersen is available to pitch, Roberts, who’s coming off knee surgery, likely will be limited to pinch-hitting duties.

“I’m going to sit close to (pitching coach) Mike Roarke all game,” Andersen said, “just to remind him I can pitch. It’s been so long, he probably forgot who I was.”

The Astros have taken veteran Jim Deshaies out of the starting rotation for the remainder of the season. He’ll be replaced by rookie right-hander Chris Gardner, who’ll make his major league debut tonight against the Padres.

“It felt like I was kicked in the teeth,” said DeShaies, 5-12, who’s eligible for free agency. “I understand what they’re doing, but I don’t like it. I could see if it was one or two starts, but five or six starts is one-sixth of the season.”

Gardner, 22, was called up from double-A Jackson last Friday. He was 13-5 with a 3.15 ERA in 22 starts, including a 5-0 record with a 1.27 ERA in his past five starts.

The Padres’ Class-A High Desert team won the California League Championship on Sunday night with a 5-3 victory over Stockton, winning the best-of-five series, 3-2.

“Those kids are going to be better players for going through that,” McIlvaine said. “You learn how to win. And the pressure’s the exact same as if it were the World Series.”