Padres Cleaning House : Baseball: Team is expected to move, drop many name players. Tony Fernandez is one mentioned.

SAN DIEGO â€”  The Padres have issued the warning cries, and beginning this week, they will make it official.

The Padres will begin stripping their major league roster.

Solely because of economic reasons, the Padres are expected to trade All-Star Tony Fernandez by midnight Monday and allow free agents Benito Santiago, Randy Myers and Jim Deshaies to depart.

“It’s nothing personal, or any reflection of their abilities,� said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager, “but strictly a business matter.�

The Padres, who entertained an offer from the New York Mets about Fernandez during late August, began shopping the shortstop during the World Series. There has been an urgency to trade him because the Padres must exercise Fernandez’s $2.3-million option for 1993 within 48 hours upon conclusion of the World Series. If the option isn’t exercised, Fernandez can become an unrestricted free agent.

McIlvaine promised Padre owners he would trade Fernandez before the 1993 season, but they want Fernandez gone before the option must be exercised. If McIlvaine fails to negotiate a trade, the owners still want Fernandez gone--they apparently don’t care that the Padres would become a laughingstock by releasing an All-Star shortstop.

Has McIlvaine been issued an ultimatum?

“No comment,� McIlvaine said. “Let’s just say we have to do something soon.�

The ownership, according to one Padre owner, won’t grant McIlvaine additional time because of a broken vow a year ago. McIlvaine promised ownership that Santiago and pitcher Craig Lefferts would be traded before the 1992 season started, but Lefferts wasn’t traded until Aug. 31 and Santiago remained the entire season.

“They’re in a lot worse trouble than Joe or anyone thought,� said one National League club executive. “I mean, you’re only talking about $2.3 million for an All-Star shortstop. That’s considered a bargain. Now, they’re looking to give the guy away.

“You wonder if anyone’s safe.�

Instead of replacing Fernandez with someone of equal skills, the Padres are expected to enter the 1993 season with Kurt Stillwell or Craig Shipley. Stillwell batted .227 with a career-low 24 RBIs, and Shipley spent much of the year on the bench, driving in only seven runs in 105 at-bats.

The Padres also will have to do without Santiago, a four-time All-Star catcher, and Myers as their bullpen stopper. Each said he would file for free agency, and the Padres notified them that no offers will be made.

Santiago won’t even be offered arbitration by the Dec. 7 deadline, McIlvaine said. This means the Padres will not receive two draft picks as compensation for losing him.

The reasoning, McIlvaine said, is that the Padres don’t want to risk the possibility that Santiago would accept arbitration. Santiago probably would receive about $4 million in arbitration, then be eligible for free agency again after the 1993 season.

“Benito’s situation is a sign where the franchise is headed,� said Scott Boras, who represents Santiago, Stillwell and pitcher Andy Benes on the Padres. “They have sent the message to every young player in that organization, ‘If we have to pay you, we’re going to have to let you go.’

“And Benito is Exhibit A of that.�

It’s unknown which teams will bid for Santiago, although Boras cracked, “Watching the World Series, I can think of at least two teams who should be interested.�

With his client’s offensive prowess widely known, Boras has sent out statistical packets to about a dozen clubs promoting Santiago’s defensive prowess. Santiago has allowed the fewest wild pitches and passed balls the past five years, and teams attempted 45% fewer stolen bases when Santiago was behind the plate than against the rest of the league.

Perhaps most impressive, Boras said, is that the Padres won 12% more games when Santiago started than when he sat because of an off-day or injury.

“I think it’s Benny’s best interest that the Padres won’t offer arbitration,� Boras said, “because then he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. Of course, it also takes away an option, too.

“We just don’t know what the marketplace will bring. If the Padres offered arbitration, to be honest, we’d seriously consider it.�

In contrast, the Padres probably will offer arbitration rights to Myers and receive draft choices for compensation. Although they won’t make an offer to Myers, they believe Myers will accept a multi-year offer from another team.

Myers, who saved a career-high 38 games and isn’t interested in returning to San Diego, is expected to be wooed by the Dodgers, New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners.

The Padres also won’t offer Deshaies arbitration. However, Deshaies is expected to be a Type C free agent because of a total of only 10 victories the past two seasons, and the Padres aren’t due compensatory draft picks.