McIlvaine Troubled by Shortage of Deals : Baseball: He still must find several players to restock the Padres.

He applied the sunscreen on his face. He neatly placed the towel atop the sand. There he did lie, his insides churning.

There may not have been anyone on the beach more disheartened than Joe McIlvaine, Padres general manager.

“Everyone’s gone home on me,” McIlvaine said. “I don’t have anyone to trade with.”

After spending six laborious days trying to improve the Padres, the only deal McIlvaine could make was sending minor-league pitcher Steve Rosenberg to the New York Mets for minor-league infielder Jeff Gardner.

It was that kind of week.

The Padres did trade Bip Roberts to Cincinnati for Randy Myers, but that deal was set up in the previous two months and needed only 20 minutes to conclude.

McIlvaine returns home today still needing a power hitter, a third baseman and a second baseman. Now he needs to make sure that power hitter is a left fielder.

McIlvaine talked with five clubs Thursday morning, but when Lou Gorman, Boston Red Sox general manager, left the hotel lobby with his suitcases at 3 p.m., McIlvaine knew his business was finished for the week.

“This isn’t over with by any means,” Gorman said. “We’ll continue talking next week. We’ve talked about a lot of players and possibilities, but just can’t agree on the names right now.”

The Padres have focused on acquiring third baseman Scott Cooper, and either center fielder Ellis Burks or infielder/outfielder Carlos Quintana from the Red Sox. Gorman is willing, but he wants starter Andy Benes in return.

McIlvaine even proposed a four-for-two trade before Gorman left, but the offer was rejected. The Padres are willing to offer Darrin Jackson, reliever Craig Lefferts, pitcher Jose Melendez and minor-league pitcher Robbie Beckett for Cooper and Burks, according to a source. The Red Sox continued to focus on Benes.

“It’s early,” McIlvaine said. “Lou and I have had a lot of trade discussions over the years, and Lou is hard to read sometimes. It’s just takes longer than most.”

The Padres’ interest in Cooper is mixed. Opinions vary on whether Cooper can play third base every day. The Red Sox also don’t appear eager to trade Cooper because third baseman Wade Boggs is eligible for free agency in a year.

Quintana is the most available of the three. Although he was an offensive threat in the Red Sox’s lineup, batting .295 with 11 homers and 71 RBIs as their first baseman, Boston would prefer to start Mo Vaughn at first. They wouldn’t mind putting Quintana in right field, but Tom Brunansky still is on the team.

If acquired, the Padres could either make Quintana their everyday left fielder or use him as their top reserve hitter. Quintana’s best position is first base, according to scouts, and he is considered a below-average outfielder.

Burks is the player who intrigues McIlvaine. Burks, bothered by injuries two of the past three seasons, has tendinitis in both knees and a bulging disk in his back.

Burks has hit more than 20 homers only once in his career, and only once has driven in more than 90 runs. He also has lost much of his speed, stealing only 15 bases while being caught 22 times the past two seasons.

“I remember the first time I brought up Ellis Burks’ name at the ’89 World Series,’ McIlvaine said, “and we had the giant earthquake. The other day before we came here--honest to God this is true--I was on the phone with Lou Gorman. That same name came up and my office started to shake. It was an earthquake.

“I don’t know what kind of sign this is, but this guy’s scary. So this week, I said a few Hail Marys before I brought his name up again.”

Perhaps the most frightening aspect of Burks is his contract. He not only earned $1.825 million last season and should make nearly $2.5 million this year, but he also is eligible for free agency after the 1992 season.

The Padres’ other option is free-agent outfielder Danny Tartabull, who has hit more homers and driven in more runs the past six years than Bobby Bonilla or Wally Joyner.

“The longer he’s out there, the less the offers,” McIlvaine said. “Somebody may come in and blow us out of the water, but the factor in our favor is he wants to play in San Diego.”

The Padres also must find a way to obtain a second baseman and third baseman. They are pursuing third baseman Gary Sheffield of the Milwaukee Brewers and second basemen Casey Candaele of the Houston Astros and Terry Shumpert of the Kansas City Royals.

“Right now, we’ve got to get a little faster,” McIlvaine said. “We don’t have a lot of team speed.”

Only the Giants and Phillies had fewer stolen bases last year than the Padres.

On Wednesday night, McIlvaine and assistant John Barr discussed whether to pursue free-agent third baseman Steve Buechele, but when Barr approached agent Alan Meersand on Thursday morning, it was too late. Buechele had signed a four-year, $11 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.