Padres: Wiggins Out for Season; Lawyers Say No

The San Diego Padres announced at a news conference Saturday at San Diego that second baseman Alan Wiggins, who checked into a drug treatment center a week earlier, will not play again for the team this season.

But Wiggins’ lawyers disagreed with the decision, which could lead to an important first test of major league baseball’s new joint drug agreement.

Under the drug contract, instituted last year, the Padres and Wiggins’ lawyers had to come to an agreement before action such as Saturday’s could be taken against Wiggins. If no such agreement takes place, a joint review counsel, under the new rules, has the leverage to make the final decision on Wiggins’ status.

Wiggins, who had an incident with drugs three years ago, mysteriously disappeared before the Padre-Dodger game at Dodger Stadium on April 25. Last Saturday, he entered an undisclosed rehabilitation center. His lawyers said that he’d been “stressed out” and may or may not have been using drugs.

The Padres and Wiggins’ lawyers said then that they’d wait to talk to Wiggins and Wiggins’ doctors before making a decision. Padre President Ballard Smith proceeded to set up a meeting with Wiggins’ agent, Tony Attanasio, for 2 p.m. Saturday.

But late Friday night, without consulting with Attanasio, Smith called Saturday’s news conference to announce that Wiggins would not be playing anymore this season. Team owner Joan Kroc, Attanasio and Smith did meet in La Jolla an hour before the news conference, and Smith did most of the talking, telling Attanasio how the team felt and what its plans were for Wiggins.

Smith then handed Attanasio a release that said in part: “ . . . We have received (information) from his (Wiggins’) representatives, indicating that he has had a relapse of his cocaine dependency. Alan must devote all his energies to his recovery. He can best do this without the pressures of major league baseball.

” . . . We have decided that it is in the best interest of Alan Wiggins and in the long-term best interest of the San Diego Padres that Alan not play baseball in San Diego in 1985.”

Apparently, this was not thorough enough of a statement for Wiggins’ lawyers. One of then said it was “absolutely ambiguous.”

Attanasio was unavailable for comment Saturday night, but another of Wiggins’ lawyers, Roy Bell, spoke with Attanasio.

“I didn’t expect this,” Bell said. “It was a strong position to take. . . . The interesting part is we don’t know what position they’re taking. They could trade him, and then we’d know. Tony described their meeting (Saturday) as professional, but they didn’t care for his input. They didn’t ask for it. He didn’t give it. . . .

“Sooner or later, Ballard has to take a position. . . . The press release told us how they feel. How they accomplish what they want is the key issue. Will they trade him? Release him? Pay him to sit? I’d think they’d want to be careful. It impacts a new (drug) program, a new agreement. . . . They may just trade him, and all this would be over.

“And no question, he (Wiggins) can play and play soon. The question is where. He’ll be able to play soon, I do know that.”

Bell added that he and Attanasio would set up a meeting with Smith this week.

Tom Friend reported from Chicago and Marc Appleman from San Diego.