Padres Close to Trading Wiggins

SAN DIEGO —  A source said Friday that the Padres and Baltimore Orioles are close to making a trade that would send Padre second baseman Alan Wiggins to Baltimore for an undisclosed minor league player, and the only holdup was the language revisions on Wiggins’ contract.

The source said the teams would announce the trade early next week.

Yet, both the Orioles and Padres denied Friday night that a deal had been completed.

“No, we haven’t made any deal,” Baltimore General Manager Hank Peters said. “We’ve been talking to them, but that’s all.”

Padre General Manager Jack McKeon: “If there’s anything done with Baltimore, it’d be between the first of the week until the middle of next. But I couldn’t rule out that I might call you tomorrow and say a deal’s worked out.”

The source, who is close to the negotiations and requested anonymity, said the Orioles had agreed to pay either all or a large portion of Wiggins’ four-year, $2.8 million contract. Also, there is a clause in the deal that says the Orioles can release Wiggins if he has a drug relapse during the span of his current contract and would be obligated to pay just one-third of his remaining contract.

How much of the contract the Padres would then be responsible for is, apparently, the part that’s being re-written in the contract.

Since this trade was not made before last weekend’s trade deadline, Wiggins had to clear major league waivers before a trade could be made. The Padres placed Wiggins on waivers Monday, and he was expected to come off the waiver list Friday or today. McKeon would not say if he had come off the list Friday.