Padres Launch Bid for Tartabull, Agent Declares : Baseball: Team still in trade negotiations with Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Eric Davis.

The Padres, perhaps hoping to make up the strongest outfield in the National League, have begun an earnest attempt to lure free-agent outfielder Danny Tartabull, according to agent Dennis Gilbert.

The Padres, still in trade talks with the Cincinnati Reds for center fielder Eric Davis, have had two conversations with Gilbert, Tartabull’s agent, expressing their intent.

Although Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager, doesn’t want to talk specifically about the Padres’ free-agent interests, he said this week that Tartabull and outfielder Bobby Bonilla are the two free agents most capable of taking a team to the division title.

Bonilla, who rejected a five-year, $22.5-million contract from the Pittsburgh Pirates, already has priced himself out of the Padres’ plans. He’s expected to receive at least $25 million over five years, and possibly could receive as much as $30 million over six years. Gilbert is scheduled to travel Saturday to Philadelphia for a meeting with the Phillies and Sunday to New York for a meeting with the Mets. The Chicago White Sox and Angels also are expected to be in the final bidding.

“I’ve never discussed Bonilla with the Padres,� Gilbert said. “We’ve only talked about Danny.�

Tartabull, who according to most major league executives is the premier power-hitter in the free-agent market, is expected to receive a contract that would pay him at least $4 million a year. The Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, Angels and Phillies each have expressed interest.

Yet, the Padres’ advantage is that Tartabull badly wants to play in San Diego, and says the Padres, “clearly are my first choice.�

Is the feeling mutual?

“My opinion of Joe McIlvaine is one of the best,� Gilbert said. “He wouldn’t waste my time or his own time if he wasn’t serious. I have to believe his interest is sincere.�

If the Padres were able to acquire Tartabull and Davis, they would have an outfield consisting of Tony Gwynn in right field, Davis in center and Tartabull in left. The acquisition of Tartabull, who batted .316 with 31 homers and 100 RBIs last season, also would provide insurance for the Padres if Davis left after the 1992 season, when he becomes eligible for free agency.

Meanwhile, it appears Steve Buechele, free agent third baseman, no longer fits in the Padres’ plans. He rejected a four-year, $10-million contract from the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to agent Alan Meersand, and is seeking a four-year, $13-million contract.

“I think Buechele’s got it all,� Meersand said. “His production is not that much different than Bonilla’s, and you can get him for half the price.

“Obviously, San Diego would be one of his first choices, but they only said they might have some interest. I’ve got others knocking on my door right now.�

Other teams to show interest in Buechele includes the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Dodgers and Pirates.

Padres Notes

Pitcher Ricky Bones leads a list of six Padres on the big-league roster who have decided to play winter ball this year: infielder Paul Faries, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico; pitchers Jim Lewis, Derek Lilliquist and Bones, Ponce, Puerto Rico; pitcher Jose Melendez, Santurce, Puerto Rico; and outfielder Oscar Azocar, Caracas, Venezuela. . . . The Padres won’t know for a few weeks what number draft pick they’ll receive in 1992. They finished with an 84-78 record, but, remarkably, four other teams finished with the same record: the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals.