Mariners Trade With Orioles, Phillies

The Seattle Mariners enlivened the final hours of the winter baseball meetings Wednesday night by making major trades with the Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Mariners sent outfielder Phil Bradley to the Phillies for outfielder Glenn Wilson and pitcher Mike Jackson. Both teams also received a minor leaguer in the deal.

In a trade of right-handed pitchers, Seattle sent Mike Morgan to Baltimore for Ken Dixon.

Morgan, 28, was 12-17 with a 4.65 earned-run average last season in 34 games, 31 of them starts. He has a 33-62 major league record.

Dixon, 27, was 7-10 with a 6.43 ERA and allowed 31 home runs in 101 innings.

Bradley, 28, a career .301 hitter over 4 1/2 years, batted .297 with 14 home runs and 67 runs batted in last season, and also stole 40 bases.

“He gives us another dimension,” said Woody Woodward, Phillie general manager. “We were trying to add speed, and he also has some power.”

Wilson, 29, batted .264 with 14 homers and 54 RBIs. He led the majors with 18 outfield assists. Jackson, 23, was 3-10 with a 4.20 ERA for Philadelphia but is considered to be a top prospect.

The Mariners also received outfielder Dave Brundage, 23, who hit .299 for Class-A Clearwater (Fla.). Philadelphia got pitcher Tim Fortugno, 25. He was 8-2 at Class-A Salinas (Calif.).

Having acquired pitchers Dan Petry and Joe Johnson, Angel Executive Vice President Mike Port left the winter meetings intent on signing Mike Witt, his free-agent pitcher.

“That’s the immediate priority,” he said. “I hope to be in touch with Steve Kay (Witt’s attorney) today. That’s one reason I’m interested in getting back.”

Although the convention officially ended Wednesday with an owners’ meeting, executives of several clubs remained to continue trade negotiations.

Port said he can continue trade talks by phone and can more easily deal with the re-signing of Witt from his Anaheim Stadium office.

He added that several teams remain interested in shortstop Gus Polidor, but that even if the Angels are unable to trade for another pitcher: “We have two more than we did when we got here.”

In two items of convention business on the final day:

--American League owners voted unanimously to disapprove what Commissioner Peter Ueberroth has determined to be a “change in control” of the Atlanta Braves. It stems from the recent purchase, by Tele-Communications Inc. of Denver and several other cable companies, of 37% interest in the Turner Broadcasting System, parent company of the Braves and Atlanta Hawks.

American League owners apparently feared the spreading tentacles of cable television.

The National League, however, approved the “change in control” before the meetings began, meaning that now, since each league has voted differently, the subject of Turner’s continuing control will go to Ueberroth for a decision.

--The expansion committees of each league, having made favorable reports to the joint ownership meeting on the subject of expansion, will be merged and continue to “move forward,” Ueberroth said in a press conference.

He added, however, that there is no timetable and that none will be established until completion of a new collective bargaining agreement and national TV contract in late 1989 or early 1990.