Padres to Stillwell: Take It or Leave It

Their patience exhausted, the Padres imposed a Monday deadline for free-agent infielder Kurt Stillwell to accept their contract proposal before it’s pulled off the table.

Joe McIlvaine, Padres general manager, informed agent Scott Boras on Thursday that they still want Stillwell but won’t wait past Monday for an answer.

“They want our decision by Monday,” Boras said, “but unless they change their offer, we won’t take it. Kurt might just wait to spring training.

“What they’ve offered is unreasonable. It’s not enough money, and it’s not a guaranteed three-year contract. We’ve made a counter-offer, but the Padres have not responded to it.”

The Padres have offered Stillwell a two-year guaranteed contract for $3.5 million with an option for $2.25 in 1994. Boras proposed a two-year contract for $4.8 million, and an option for the third year that would be guaranteed if Stillwell played a total of 200 games in 1992 and 1993. Stillwell also would have the choice to either accept the Padres’ option for the third year, or elect to have his salary decided by an arbitrator.

Stillwell has no other multi-year offers. The Chicago Cubs are interested in Stillwell, but they are waiting to determine the severity of shortstop Shawon Dunston’s back injury before making an offer.