Padre Second Baseman Wiggins Joins Las Vegas

Padre second baseman Alan Wiggins officially joined the Las Vegas Stars in Edmonton, Alberta on Wednesday, and, although he won’t play his first minor league game until Friday or Saturday, he has begun working out.

And so, at least until Wiggins clears Major League waivers this weekend, this ordeal has quieted. Padre President Ballard Smith was asking if could talk about something else. And Eugene Orza, associate general counsel of the Major League Players Assn., was wondering if the Padres would provide drug after-care for Wiggins while he was with the Stars.

Still, when Wiggins clears waivers, the trade rumors undoubtedly will resume.

As for the Padres, they have bought themselves some time. Smith has said Wiggins will never again play for the Padres, and, if he sticks to his word, the Padres must trade Wiggins or release him within the next 19 days before Wiggins’ minor league assignment expires. If Wiggins still belongs to the Padres after that, San Diego will have to take him back or release him.

Meanwhile, Orza said he was just concerned about Wiggins’ next 19 days.

“We’re trying to make sure he has an after-care program monitored there (with Las Vegas) because we know the Padres won’t look after his best interests,” Orza said. “They’ll just go through the motions. I have no suspicion that they’ll watch him, considering the charity they’ve shown before. We’ll have to take care of it ourselves.”

Said Smith, when asked if there would be after-care, said: “I don’t know.”