Counsel Declares Wiggins Medically Fit, Padres Balk

Padres officials declined to attend the first-ever Joint Review Counsel drug meeting Monday at New York where doctors declared San Diego second baseman Alan Wiggins medically fit to play.

And though the drug agreement calls for Wiggins to be in the minor leagues preparing for the majors, Padre officials insist he will not play for San Diego this season.

“We’ve got certain options,” Ballard Smith, Padre president, said Monday. “We’re pursuing them, and we’ll continue to do so. There are a lot of options. A trade is one, and we’re actively looking at that. Releasing him? That’s an option, I suppose. Also, we could take the position that his contract is not valid.”

The Padres refused to attend the Joint Review Counsel meeting with Wiggins because, Smith said, his adversaries, including baseball’s Players’ Assn., have been uncooperative in the case.

Thus, Wiggins’ status still is in limbo. Smith must either trade, release or send Wiggins to the minors. Smith, however, said he also may challenge the player’s $2-million, four-year contract, which was signed last winter.

Two American League teams reportedly have seriously talked with the Padres about trading for Wiggins.

Hank Peters, Baltimore’s executive vice president-general manager, confirmed Monday that he is interested. The other team is not known.

“We talked to them about him once, but obviously nothing has happened,” Peters said. “We’ll continue to look at the situation and see what comes out. Whatever the Joint Review Counsel’s recommendation might be, we don’t know much about this fellow and his past problems. Until you know, you’re not sure what you’d do.”

Said Jack McKeon, Padre general manager: “If there’s interest out there, I’m not afraid to talk. Hank Peters said he’s talked to us, sure. But ask him if he’s talked to Boston, and he’ll say ‘yeah.’ Ask him if he’s talked to New York and he’ll say ‘yeah.’ The trading deadline is Saturday.

“I’ve talked to six clubs today. They all called me, but not everyone talked about Wiggins. They say ‘What are you looking for?’ Now, since it’s the trading deadline, you’re calling to touch base with people. But no one’s made us an offer for Wiggins. I’ve talked to a couple of clubs. I won’t deny that.

“But making a deal is naming names. If you start talking names, that’s serious. But we haven’t gotten to that. To come out and say we’re close (to trading him) today, that’s crazy.” In Baltimore’s case, Peters refused to say whether he had talked to Wiggins or Wiggins’ agent, Tony Attanasio, regarding the player’s past.

“I can’t say what we’d do,” Peters said. “We’re not particularly happy (with our second baseman), and we’re investigating the various possibilities.”

The Joint Review Counsel, consisting of physicians Don Ottenberg and Joel Solomon and psychologist George DeLeon, refused to comment on the case except to say Wiggins was “ready to resume playing from a medical standpoint and has been able to do so since the date of his discharge from his rehabilitation center, May 26, 1985.”

Eugene Orza of the Players’ Assn. also refused to comment. Barry Rona, general counsel of the Player Relations Committee only said: “Their decision was made based on the meeting here today, and documents.”

The documents, psychological evaluations from Wiggins’ stay at Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota, have created much controversy. The documents are partly the reason why the Padres refused to attend Monday’s meeting.

The Padres talked to Wiggins’ representatives last week in an attempt to settle Wiggins’ fitness question. Wiggins’ representatives agreed for Wiggins to be examined by a Padre physician. But the Padres asked for the Hazelden records, which Wiggins’ representatives refused to release. That ended the negotiations.

“Yes, we asked for the medical records,” Smith said. “How is the doctor to make his evaluation without the medical records, without history of what he was really on? If they don’t give up the records, I’d think they’d also instruct Alan not to tell the doctor about his history.”

Rona said Smith must act on the Wiggins’ situation. “We will be talking to them (the Padres) soon,” Rona said.

Smith said he also has the option of challenging Wiggins’ contract, which has a clause that says the player will not be paid during a time he’s suffering from drug or alcohol abuse.

But that clause may no longer apply under baseball’s drug agreement, which states that a player must be paid in full as long as he is in a rehabilitation for less than 30 days.