Teufel Likely to Sign Today With Padres : Baseball: Infielder probably will opt for Padres’ offer over San Francisco’s.

In a move designed to help shore their deficiencies without taxing their budget, the Padres were expected to sign free agent infielder Tim Teufel today to a guaranteed two-year contract for about $1.5 million.

Teufel, 33, who also received a two-year contract offer from the San Francisco Giants, apparently has decided that he would rather start for San Diego than be a utility player for the Giants. He also received interest from the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds.

“The deciding factor for Tim is playing time, and his geographical preference,” said Tony Attanasio, Teufel’s agent. “He just loves this area. And I think you’ll see the offensive numbers he can put up by playing every day.

“Really, the only problem with this is that we’re down to the 11th hour. We could have had this done six weeks ago.”

The Padres waited until Tuesday to begin full-scale negotiations. Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager, had three negotiating sessions Tuesday with Attanasio and moved closer to finalizing the deal with their last conversation.

Yet, no deal was consummated, Attanasio said, primarily because Teufel was nearly incapacitated. He was recovering at his Connecticut home most of the day, heavily medicated from a finger infection and root canal surgery.

“We had to wait,” Attanasio said. “If I had to make a decision, Val Teufel (Tim’s wife) would be playing second base because Tim couldn’t do much talking.”

The Padres--who have a 9 p.m. deadline today to sign Teufel or lose negotiating rights until May 1--offered the two-year guarantee for the first time Tuesday. They also increased the total value of the contract from $1.2 million to about $1.5 million, according to sources.

If an unexpected snag occurs in negotiations today with the Padres, the Giants appear to be poised as the most serious competitors for Teufel’s services. They have been pursuing Teufel for weeks, offering him the role of backing up Matt Williams at third base, Robby Thompson at second and Will Clark at first.

“Certainly, Teufel is the type of player that would fit our team,” said Al Rosen, Giant president. “He’s a feisty, hard-playing guy. He can play three positions in the infield. Really, I’ve always appreciated his style of play.

“But at this point, the ball is in the Padres’ court. I think he’ll go back.”

Teufel, who was traded from the New York Mets to the Padres on May 31, batted .228 with 11 homers and 42 RBIs in 97 games after joining the Padres. Barring any trades, Teufel is expected to become the Padres’ starting third baseman in the 1992 season.

Certainly, no position was weaker in the Padres’ lineup last year. The Padres used seven players at third base last season; they batted a composite .194. In comparison, the league average for third basemen was .264.