Padres Sure Sheffield Will Fill Void at Third : Baseball: McIlvaine sends Bones, two minor leaguers to Brewers for the infielder.

The Padres ignored Gary Sheffield’s reputation. They shrugged off his injury problems. They even took a big gulp and swallowed their pride.

Convinced they resolved their third-base woes, the Padres acquired Sheffield from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for pitcher Ricky Bones, minor-league shortstop Jose Valentin and minor-league outfielder Matt Mieske. The Padres also received Class A pitcher Geoff Kellogg.

“Everybody always thinks I go out and get mild-mannered, vanilla-type players,” said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager. “Well, now I have Randy Myers and Gary Sheffield.

“So I hope this puts that to rest.”

The most difficult aspect of the trade, McIlvaine said, was not gambling on Sheffield’s sullied reputation or his recovery from shoulder surgery, but giving up a key part of the organization’s future. Bones, 22, was scheduled to be in the starting rotation this season, and Valentin, 22, and Mieske, 24, could be in the big leagues in 1993.

“That’s why it was a tough trade for us to make,” McIlvaine said. “We’re giving up three young players, but we’re getting a third baseman that will make us one of the best infields in the National League. I’ll match up our infield with anyone’s.”

Undoubtedly, the key to the trade will be Sheffield’s disposition. Although the Brewers acknowledged he was one of the most talented players in the major leagues, his ability was undermined by the turmoil that surrounded him.

“Will he ever live up to his potential? That’s up to him,” said Al Goldis, Brewer scouting director. “He has the physical capabilities, no one has ever doubted that.

“I saw him in high school, and he was the best hitter I’ve ever seen in baseball. The next best was Darryl Strawberry. He was that level of a hitter.

“But it’s up to him to make a commitment to the game, focus more and decide whether, ‘I’m going to be the best third baseman in baseball.’

“He just might wind up doing that.”

Stardom was projected for Sheffield, 23, the moment he was selected in the 1986 June free agent draft. He was in the major leagues by the time he was 20, and in his first full season in 1990, he batted .294 with 10 homers and 67 RBIs. Yet he always found himself embroiled in controversy, criticizing the front office and alienating his teammates.

“I’ve done a lot of things out of anger, just so they would trade me,” Sheffield said. “After my rookie year, I knew I would never feel comfortable in Milwaukee. That’s why I can’t stop smiling now. It’s over. I can start fresh again.

“This is the best thing that could happen to me. Believe me, man, it’s been a long four years.”

It seems even longer to the Padres, who have gone 23 years searching for a third baseman. They have used 72 third baseman in franchise history, and have traded for four third baseman and signed a free agent since McIlvaine’s arrival. Jim Presley, Scott Coolbaugh, Tim Teufel, Craig Worthington have all been tried and rejected.

“I think we finally got it right this time,” McIlvaine said.

The repercussions of Friday’s trade were immediate.

* Worthington marched into McIlvaine’s office and instantly demanded a trade. The Padres told him they would try to accommodate him.

“I would like a trade,” said Worthington, who ironically hit his first home run of the spring earlier in the day. “Now that they have another third baseman, I’m no use to them. I’ve got to play every day.

“I just don’t know why they did this. At the very least, give me a good month into the season to see what I can do. They have no idea what I could do.”

* Tony Gwynn, the four-time batting champion, was asked whether he would be comfortable moving to second in the batting order to allow Sheffield to bat third.

“I’d prefer to stay in the third spot,” Gwynn said, “but I’m probably a No. 2 hitter batting in the No. 3 spot. Whatever they want, I’ll do it.”

* Craig Lefferts will be in the Padre starting rotation, unless, of course, he is traded before opening day.

“He’s opened up a lot of eyes in camp,” McIlvaine said. “He deserves it. I’m not saying there’s no chance he won’t be traded, but if he’s here, he’s in the rotation.”

* Catcher Benito Santiago becomes more vulnerable than ever. He again was the subject Friday of trade discussions with the Toronto Blue Jays. Should the Padres decide to bat Sheffield fifth, Santiago said he would feel slighted.

“I don’t know why they keep looking for a No. 5 hitter when they’ve got me,” Santiago said. “I drove in 87 runs last year, what has that guy done. I don’t understand this.”

The Padres, however, weren’t about to let any such annoyances ruin their celebration. McIlvaine has sought Sheffield for five years, and the general manager wants to make sure Sheffield was well worth every last one of the 24 phone calls he made to Brewer General Manager Sal Bando.

Already, the Padres devised a strategy to make sure Sheffield will fit into the team. Padre Manager Greg Riddoch left in the middle of the second game of the Padres’ doubleheader to meet privately with first baseman Fred McGriff and Gwynn. He asked for their assistance dealing with Sheffield.

“He’s a good guy, he’s just said some crazy things in the papers,” said McGriff, who has worked out with Sheffield the last two winters. “If they just let him play here, he’ll be fine.”

Although the Padres realize they needed more offense, the trade received a mixed reaction. McIlvaine said the most difficult aspect of the trade was parting with Mieske--who batted .341 with 15 homers and 119 RBIs for Class A High Desert--and the players wondered aloud if it was a mistake to include Valentin in the deal.

This, after all, was the franchise that traded away All-Star shortstops Ozzie Smith and Ozzie Guillen, and Valentin could be every bit as talented.

“When we heard about the trade,” Gwynn said, “we said, ‘Please don’t let it be Valentin.’ The one name that kept coming up around the clubhouse all day was (his).

Gary Sheffield’s Career Statistics

YR TEAM AB R H HR RBI AVG ’88 Milwaukee 80 12 19 4 12 .238 ’89 Milwaukee 368 34 91 5 32 .247 ’90 Milwaukee 487 67 143 10 67 .294 ’91 Milwaukee 175 25 34 2 22 .194 Totals 1110 138 287 21 133 .258