Sheffield Again on Wish List : Padres: McIlvaine talking to Brewers in deal that would involve pitcher Ricky Bones.

The Padres, queasy about their offensive deficiencies this spring, have intensified efforts to acquire third baseman Gary Sheffield of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Padres and Brewers are discussing a trade that would send starting pitcher Ricky Bones, and at least one of their top minor-league prospects, to the Brewers for Sheffield, according to sources within both organizations.

Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager, confirmed Sunday that they have reopened trade talks with the Brewers but declined to divulge specifics.

However, he did say that starter Greg Harris, who was involved in trade talks a month ago with the Brewers, no longer is part of the proposals.

“I’ve had 15 conversations with Sal Bando (Brewers general manager) since the end of the season,” McIlvaine said, “but the slate is clean now. We’re talking a different set of names.”

Perhaps the biggest holdup in making the trade is the mixed reaction within the Padres’ organization. Although McIlvaine is eager to make the trade, sources indicate the coaching staff is reluctant because of Sheffield’s reputation. No one questions his ability or talent, but he has been perceived as a malcontent in Milwaukee who has alienated virtually all of his teammates.

“That’s why it’s the type of trade that can make you look real smart,” McIlvaine said, “or real dumb.”

It could be a gamble trading Bones, considering that the Padres have been left weakened in the rotation because of Ed Whitson’s recent elbow tendinitis. But Bones, 22, is not even a shoo-in to be the Padres’ fifth starter this season.

The Padres have become skeptical that third baseman Craig Worthington can be an effective hitter in the National League. He’s batting .125 this spring without an extra-base hit or RBI.

“That’s a big factor,” McIlvaine said. “I think Worthington has few peers defensively, but the whole question with Worthington is how much can he hit.”

McIlvaine scouted Sheffield as a senior at Hillsborough High in Tampa, Fla., where four years earlier the New York Mets, then McIlvaine’s employers, drafted Sheffield’s uncle, Dwight Gooden. Sheffield batted .500 his senior season, with 14 homers and 31 RBIs. He led his team in pitching with a 6-3 record and 1.81 ERA.

“He has so many tools,” McIlvaine said. “I don’t know the guy personally, but I saw him as a free agent, and he’s one of the best 17-year-old hitters I’ve ever seen.

“He’s certainly a quality player, but he’s let outside forces affect his play.”

McIlvaine has been asking around about Sheffield’s personality. He corralled Padre minor-league manager Eddie Romero for 10 minutes Sunday morning, knowing that Romero played with him briefly in Milwaukee.

“I tell you, he’s got a world of potential,” said Padre first baseman Fred McGriff, who works out with Sheffield during the off-season in Tampa. “There’s not too many guys with his potential.

“The big thing for him is that he needs to get out of Milwaukee. He’s said some crazy things in Milwaukee over the years, and they’ve been all over him. He can’t do anything right now. He’s in a no-win situation.

“I’m sure it’s going to be one of those moves that if it works out, McIlvaine’s a genius. If he doesn’t work out, he looks dumb. It’s a tough one.”

The Brewers entered spring training intent on keeping Sheffield, who in 1990 hit .294 with 10 homers and 67 RBIs. They tried to appease him by inviting his parents to Milwaukee last summer. They talked with him frequently during the winter. They hoped everything would be fine this spring.

Instead, Sheffield opened the spring by straining a back muscle. He missed a few more days when his grandmother died. He came back from the funeral, then sprained his knee.

Then came the real problems. Sheffield, in his annual state-of-the-team tirade, blasted the Brewers for not giving him a multi-year contract and criticized owner Bud Selig and former Manager Tom Trebelhorn for making him play hurt last season. He played only 50 games because of shoulder and wrist injuries.

It was the first time Sheffield criticized Selig.

It might be the last.

“I don’t have to trade him,” Bando said, “nor do I want to trade him. But if I think it could help our team if I’d trade him.

“They have good players. The question is whether they have enough. It really depends on what we could get in return.”

Said McIlvaine: “Their position is, ‘We don’t have to trade the guy. If we can, we will. If we can’t, he’ll stay.’ ”

Padre special-assignment scout Dick Williams will continue to monitor Sheffield.

Padre Notes

Fred McGriff, who has struggled offensively this spring, ended the drought Sunday by hitting a home run and triple in the Padres’ 7-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. It was McGriff’s first home run of the spring and his first in Arizona. He hit only one homer in spring training last year, and that occurred in the next-to-last game against Seattle in Las Vegas.

“They should have given me the ball,” McGriff said. “If I hadn’t got one here, and then go back to Yuma, that would have been tough. Me and Yuma don’t get along too good.”

Reliever Larry Andersen, who entered the game with a 9.00 ERA, yielded only one hit in two innings. Randy Myers closed the game with two hitless innings.

Craig Lefferts stayed in the running for the Padres’ fifth starter’s job by winning his first game of the spring and ending the Padres’ five-game losing streak. Lefferts yielded five hits and two runs in five innings. “I feel like I’m getting a little more endurance each time,” Lefferts said. “I know I can do it, it’s just a question of doing the things that will get me here. I feel like I’m pitching right where I thought I’d be. All in all, I’m pleased.”

Padre catcher Benito Santiago was kept out of action for the second time in three days because of his sore right shoulder. Dann Bilardello played the entire game, going one for four with an RBI. . . . Left fielder Jerald Clark continued his spring-training tear, hitting his third homer of the spring. He has become a virtual shoo-in for the starting job in left field, leaving Thomas Howard either on the bench or on the trading block. . . . Infielder Tim Teufel hit his first homer of the spring: “Who knows, maybe I’ll hit 30 this season,” he cracked.