Tartabull, Padres Seem to Make a Perfect Fit

Outfielder Danny Tartabull already has found the home he wants to buy in San Diego. He has calculated the distance it would take to drive to the stadium. He has taken inventory of the personnel in the Padre clubhouse.

The next step will be performed Monday. That’s when he’ll file for free agency, and immediately emerge along with Bobby Bonilla as the top two talents in the free-agent market.

Although Tartabull is expected to turn the fate of any franchise that lures him, his ultimate wish, he says, is to spend the rest of his career wearing a Padre uniform.

When Joe McIlvaine, Padres general manager, calls Tartabull’s agent this week, there will be no need to sell Tartabull on the amenities of San Diego. All that’s needed is a contract.

“I’d like to take care of the situation as soon as possible,” Tartabull said. “I’m not going to make any hasty or foolish decisions, but San Diego is my No. 1 choice.

“I’m going to be wealthy no matter where I sign, but I want to play for a winner, and I want a help a team become a champion. And I think San Diego’s that team.

“I can help bring a championship to that city. I know that’s putting pressure on myself, but, hey, I thrive on pressure.”

McIlvaine, who has spent the past week at the World Series, isn’t allowed to discuss Tartabull until he files for free agency. Yet, sources say Tartabull is the Padres’ No. 1 choice in the free-agent market. McIlvaine envisions a 3-4-5 punch of Tony Gwynn, Tartabull and Fred McGriff in the middle of the lineup.

“If we had Tartabull in this lineup,” said McGriff, “you’re talking about a whole different team. We’d scare some people with that lineup. He’d be perfect for us.”

Under rules of the Basic Agreement, McIlvaine can talk with Dennis Gilbert, Tartabull’s agent, as soon Tartabull files for free agency but must wait 15 days before offering a contract. Technically, no club is allowed to discuss monetary details with a free agent until the 15-day period lapses.

In the meantime, Tartabull will wait, listening to clubs express interest. The Angels and Royals surely will call. The Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays are expected to be heard. The Dodgers and New York Yankees also are possibilities.

Still, if all offers are close to equal, Tartabull’s choice would be easy.

He would become the highest-paid free agent in Padres history.

He predicts a championship would soon follow.

Why not?

Tartabull has emerged as one of the great slugging outfielders in baseball, and with his presence, the Padres probably would contend in the National League West.

Tartabull, the Most Valuable Player on the Kansas City Royals for the second year of his career, was among the top 10 in virtually every American League slugging category.

Do the Padres want numbers? He led the major leagues with a .593 slugging percentage, and batted .316 with 31 homers and 100 RBIs. He was third only behind Jose Canseco and Cecil Fielder, averaging a home run every 15.6 at-bats, and an RBI every 4.8 at-bats. This all came about despite the Royals’ No. 5 hitter batting a cumulative .231 behind him this season.

Do the Padres want clutch situations? Tartabull batted .380 with runners in scoring position, .355 with runners on base, and .400 with the bases loaded.

Do the Padres want consistency? He batted .317 on grass, .316 on artificial turf; .325 against right-handers, .296 against left-handers; 318 on the road, .314 at home; .331 in the day, .310 at night.

Would the Padres have reason to believe he’d have success at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium? Tartabull has spent the past five years playing at Royals Stadium, statistically the most difficult ballpark in the American League to hit home runs. He hit 18 homers and drove in 65 runs on the road this past season. San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, meanwhile, is one of the best launching pads in the National League.

“Oh, man, everybody tells me how nice it is hitting in San Diego,” Tartabull said. “I’ve had guys like Mark Davis, Storm Davis and Chris James (all ex-Padres) telling me I’d go nuts if I hit in a park like San Diego’s. Coming from Kansas City, it’d be a treat, because you got to hit the ball a ton to hit one out there.

“It’s funny, everybody I talk to say how much I’d enjoy it there, and I get so excited thinking about it, but we haven’t even talked yet.

“But you know Joe McIlvaine is going to bring in guys who are going to turn things around, and I just want to be one of those guys. They’re getting so close now, and I’d like to be the guy who puts them over the top. It represents a great challenge, giving that city the championship it deserves.”

Tartabull’s hunger for a championship makes San Diego most attractive. If money were the only factor, he probably would stay in Kansas City. If convenience were important, he would play for the Angels or Dodgers, a close enough to drive each day from the Malibu home he built two years ago.

But he wants to become the man responsible for leading the Padres to their first division title in eight years. The only National League teams who have gone longer without a division title are the Montreal Expos and Philadelphia Phillies.

“I’m going to get my money; I’ll be a rich man, I’m not worried about any of that,” said Tartabull, who celebrates his 29th birthday Tuesday. “When I retire, you want to sit back and enjoy your memories, talk about playing in the playoffs and the World Series. And no amount of money can replace that.

“This is the first time I can dictate where I want to be, and I want to be on a team that’s going to win, and a team I can help reach the World Series.

“I’m so sick and tired of watching the playoffs on TV year after year. I want to be there. I’d trade everything I’ve ever done for that. People talk about what a great year I had this year, but hey, if you don’t make the playoffs, what difference does it make?

“That’s why I’d like to be in San Diego when it all happens, and I think if I’m there, it’ll happen soon.”

It might sound crazy, Tartabull says, but in a way, it’s almost as if San Diego already feels like home. He and McGriff are longtime friends and used to work out together during the off-seasons in Florida. He met Gwynn and Benito Santiago at the All-Star game, and said Gwynn made him feel as if they knew each other all their lives. He knows and respects Manager Greg Riddoch from when he was a minor leaguer in the Cincinnati Reds organization.

“It’s almost like the perfect fit,” Tartabull said. “What I did personally this year was nice, but it was only a stepping stone. I want to show people the true Danny Tartabull.

“I want to show how hungry I am to take a team to the top.”

“I want that team to be the San Diego Padres.”