His Arm Is What Suits the Padres : No Matter the Wardrobe, Myers Is the Stopper McIlvaine Sought

Pitcher Randy Myers didn’t walk into the Padre offices Monday with his military arsenal. He didn’t carry a Soldier of Fortune magazine under his arm. He didn’t even bring his usual duffel bag of camouflage gear.

“Hey, I have to find out the California laws first,” said Myers said, his face breaking into an expansive grin.

Myers, the originator of the “Nasty Boys” nickname, arrived Monday in San Diego to meet his new employers and played it straight. You know how it is, he said. New job. New bosses. Make a good first impression.

Whatever Myers had in mind, his cover was blown the moment he got off the plane from Vancouver, Wash. He was wearing gray shorts. A blue sweatshirt. High-top tennis shoes. A pair of sunglasses rested atop his head.

“I didn’t know it was a suit- or formal-type thing,” Myers said, shrugging his shoulders.

Myers’ attire didn’t matter to Padre General Manager Joe McIlvaine. Myers is the bullpen stopper the Padres have sought, and as soon as the Cincinnati Reds made him available on the market, McIlvaine began his pursuit. The acquisition cost the Padres leadoff hitter Bip Roberts, but McIlvaine believes Myers is the final cog in formulating one of the finest pitching staffs in the league.

McIlvaine acknowledges there are other problems. The Padres still hope to find another power-hitter to protect Fred McGriff. They want a third baseman and have had trade talks with the New York Mets about Chris Donnels and the Milwaukee Brewers about Gary Sheffield. And McIlvaine called agent Scott Boras again Monday, just to remind him that their two-year, $3.5-million offer to second baseman Kurt Stillwell still is on the table.

But on this day, McIlvaine wanted to forget all about their offensive holes, and admire the man whom he hopes will fill the void left two years ago when Mark Davis departed for Kansas City.

“This is the player we wanted to shore up our most crying need,” McIlvaine said. “This is the guy we wanted all along.”

Myers, who possesses a 94-m.p.h. fastball, will return to the role he lost with the Reds last season when he was supplanted by Rob Dibble. He had been the bullpen stopper the previous three seasons with the New York Mets and Reds, averaging 27 saves a season. But after blowing back-to-back save opportunities May 1 against Pittsburgh and May 3 against St. Louis, Myers watched the Reds go almost exclusively with Dibble, leaving him only four save opportunities the remainder of the season.

“I couldn’t handle long relief, so I finally asked to be a starter,” Myers said. “But even when I started, I had the short-man mentality. I’ll do anything these guys want, but I think the stopper role is where I belong.”

The Padres also brought second baseman Jeff Gardner to their introductory press conference, and although they still would prefer Stillwell, Gardner made it clear he wants to be a candidate for the job.

“I want to prove there’s not a hole at second base,” said Gardner, who was acquired in December from the Mets for pitcher Steve Rosenberg. “I have one thing in mind, and that’s to make the club and be their second baseman. I believe I can play at this level.”

Gardner, who has played only 13 major league games, certainly could draw local interest. His father, Bud, once was the Padres’ batboy when they were in the Pacific Coast League. His parents went to high school in San Diego and graduated from San Diego State. And his grandmother still lives in town.

“I can’t believe how excited I am,” Gardner said. “My wife and I are absolutely thrilled to be here. I think this is the perfect place for me.”

Gardner has a keen interest in the Stillwell negotiations. The biggest stumbling block, Boras said, is that the Padres continue to insist on a one-year option in 1994 for $2.3 million. Meanwhile, Boras said, another team could make the Padres’ offer obsolete today with a four-year proposal.

“He’s still got all these mystery teams sitting out there,” McIlvaine said, rolling his eyes. “He claims there are four others team who are about to bowl them over, so . . . you can’t sit and wait. I’m moving forward.”

McIlvaine also traded salary counter-proposals with Boras for catcher Benito Santiago, whose arbitration hearing is scheduled a week from today. Santiago is seeking $3.3 million while the Padres offered $2.5 million.

“Benny is the best catcher in baseball,” Boras said, “and like usual, we’re prepared to prove it.”

In other news, the Padres signed right-handed pitcher Dave Eiland to a triple-A contract, and he’ll be invited to the major league camp as a non-roster player. Eiland, 25, split this past season with the New York Yankees and their triple-A Columbus team. He was 2-5 with a 5.33 ERA in 18 games with the Yankees, and 6-1 with a 2.40 ERA in nine starts with Columbus.