Padres to Arbitration on Santiago, Jackson : Baseball: Catcher and outfielder reject the team’s final salary proposals. Arbitration hearings scheduled next week for both players.

Catcher Benito Santiago, in bitter and often caustic salary negotiations throughout his career in San Diego, will resolve perhaps his final Padre contract in yet another hearing.

The Padres and Santiago broke off negotiations Friday afternoon on a one-year contract. They will settle their differences Tuesday in an arbitration hearing in Los Angeles.

“I’m a little bit surprised,” agent Scott Boras said. “Normally in these settings, you’d think the club would want to set the stage for discussions of future relationships, and I’m not sure an arbitration relationship sets that tone.

“We talked again today, but they said their position is clear. Well, so is ours.”

Santiago, eligible for free agency at the end of the season, is proposing $3.3 million. The Padres originally proposed $2.5 million, and their counter-proposal of about $2.75 million was rejected. This will be the third consecutive year Santiago’s contract will be resolved in arbitration.

The Padres also will be headed to an arbitration hearing Monday with outfielder Darrin Jackson, who rejected the Padres’ proposal to meet halfway in their contractual differences.

“I don’t know what they’re doing, but I know the Padres don’t take Darrin Jackson seriously,” said agent Alan Meersand. “They act as if his 21 homers never happened, or as if it were an accident or fluke.”

The Padres originally proposed $560,000 in their arbitration filing, and have since raised thatr to $775,000. Jackson and Meersand hope to prove Monday that Jackson is worth the $975,000 they propose.

“Their number was a silly, ridiculous number, and I’m not going to try to negotiate off that number,” Meersand said. “Their number is unrealistic. It’s so off-base, I’m not even going to dignify it by negotiating off it. That tactic may work with rookie agents but not me.

“They want to know how I can justify Darrin’s salary. They asked, ‘How I can compare Darrin to Shane Mack?’

“I said, ‘Show up on Monday at 10 a.m. and find out.’ ”

Meanwhile, the Padres have scheduled a meeting Wednesday with Boras to again discuss negotiations with free-agent infielder Kurt Stillwell. Stillwell also has a meeting Tuesday with an unspecified team and might learn whether the team will top the Padres. The Padres have proposed a two-year, $3.5 million contract to Stillwell with an option in 1994 for $2.3 million.

In other news, the Padres signed reliever Jeremy Hernandez to a one-year contract and the Colorado Rockies hired former Padre public relations director Mike Swanson for their vacant PR position.