Padres Happy Irabu Saga Finally Over

Reflecting on the long saga in which Japanese pitcher Hideki Irabu resisted the San Diego Padres’ attempts to sign him before ultimately getting what he wanted in a trade to the New York Yankees, Padre President Larry Lucchino said, “It calls to mind one of my favorite cliches, which is, ‘All’s well that ends.’ It doesn’t have to end well. It just has to end.”

Although the trade still has to be approved by baseball’s executive council and Irabu still has to be signed by the Yankees, the affair did seem to end well for the Padres.

“We were sincere in our desire to have Irabu pitch for us,” Lucchino said. “But when a guy keeps saying he doesn’t want to play for you, it’s funny how quickly that feeling becomes mutual.

“We also got the two players we wanted [outfielder Ruben Rivera and pitcher Rafael Medina]. Both are potential impact players.”

The Padres will also receive $3 million, which should cover salary and incentives for Rickey Henderson, if he is not traded. The Padres have been trying to deal him since the end of last season to free left field for Greg Vaughn, but sometimes the best trades are those that aren’t made. Vaughn batted only .206 after his acquisition last year and is struggling again at .147.

Lucchino would not comment on the often insulting rhetoric and tactics of Irabu’s agent, Don Nomura. Nomura had wisely stayed in the background while respected agent-attorney Arn Tellem negotiated Hideo Nomo’s acquisition by the Dodgers, but he stepped into the spotlight and dragged agentry back into the muck during the Irabu affair.

“The only thing I’ll say is that we think Irabu would have liked the city and done quite well in San Diego, and he would have intensified our already intense rivalry with the Dodgers when he pitched against Nomo,” Lucchino said.

*

Coming off a 1-8 trip to Atlanta, Pittsburgh and New York on Wednesday, with the season possibly going under in April, Cincinnati General Manager Jim Bowden said, “You can’t afford to let your team get too comfortable. Sometimes you have to trade friends and popular players to get some attention in the clubhouse. I haven’t shaken things up during the season with a major trade in quite a while.”

Translation: Bowden is willing to move first baseman Hal Morris, second baseman Bret Boone or both for pitching help.

Said Manager Ray Knight: “When it rains, it pours, and we’re in the midst of a monsoon.”

*

Andruw Jones turned 20 on Wednesday, the day he appeared in his 48th big league game, but it’s still a learning process for the touted and talented Atlanta outfielder from Curacao. Manager Bobby Cox, believing Jones has displayed indifference at times in the outfield and on the bases, delivered a closed-door lecture, and General Manager John Schuerholz said, “He’s very, very young, still growing . . . still being molded by circumstances and the people around him. It’s a work in progress.”

The San Francisco Giants, 11th in the league in pitching last year, were only fractions behind the NL-leading Dodgers as they opened a seven-game trip Friday. Cautioned Barry Bonds: “It’s early, man. We’ve just got to go out, play our game and stay quiet.”