Jackson, Padres Agree on $805,000 Contract

SAN DIEGO — Outfielder Darrin Jackson, becoming a bit queasy about his arbitration case Monday morning, averted a hearing with the Padres by settling on a one-year contract for $805,000.

Jackson, who received a 210% raise from his 1991 salary of $260,000, could receive an even larger raise if the Padres agree to a two-year contract before the start of the season. Alan Meersand, Jackson’s agent, proposed a two-year deal that, according to sources, would pay Jackson about $2.2 million.

“We’re going to continue to have ongoing dialogue,” Meersand said. “At one point, I thought we were going to get it done today. They’re still considering the deal, and would talk it over with the owners.”

The Padres and Meersand re-opened negotiations at 9:30 Monday morning, 30 minutes before the scheduled start of arbitration. The arbitrator would have had to decide between Jackson’s $975,000 filing, and the Padres’ $560,000 offer.

“Settling today was Darrin’s decision, not mine,” Meersand said. “I thought it was a slam-dunk decision. I thought we had an 80-20 chance of winning until Sam Horn signed last night with Baltimore (for $687,000).”

Said General Manager Joe McIlvaine: “I got the feeling that Darrin didn’t want to go through with it. You have to assess your chances because of all the factors. We felt this was a toss-up, so we went the extra mile to settle it.”

The Padres have their next scheduled arbitration hearing today with catcher Benito Santiago. The Padres have offered $2.5 million, while Santiago is seeking $3.3 million.