Anderson Gets What He Wants : Football: Buccaneers complete trade with Chargers. Running back signs $3.6 million contract for four years.

After a hectic 48 hours, Gary Anderson officially is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.

The deal was sealed Saturday morning when Anderson signed a four-year contract with the Bucs. It is valued at $3.6 million, sources said. The deal includes a $400,000 signing bonus and a $600,000 salary for 1990.

“I’m definitely glad this is over,” said Anderson, who sat out last season in a contract dispute with the Chargers. “I’m ready to play football again.”

The Bucs will waste no time putting him to work. Anderson will take part in a two-day rookie mini-camp starting Wednesday.

Reaching the agreement was the last hitch in the deal that was arranged Thursday, bringing the Chargers a third-round pick in today’s NFL draft and a conditional second-round pick in 1991.

Tampa Bay had imposed a deadline of 9 a.m. PDT Saturday for reaching a contract agreement or calling off the deal. Tampa Bay officials said the deal was completed on time except for a few technical details.

“There were a few anxious moments when we were concerned it would get done, but everything turned out the way we hoped and the way Gary hoped,” said Bobby Beathard, Charger general manager.

The trade sends Anderson back to Tampa Bay, where he makes his home and played for three seasons (1983-85) with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the defunct United States Football League. And it ends a productive but abbreviated stay for Anderson in San Diego.

Beathard met once with Anderson and his agent, Peter Johnson of Cleveland, after taking over as general manager Jan. 3 but never entered into serious negotiations. He said he became convinced after signing three running backs in the Plan B free agency that the best solution was to trade Anderson.

“Our feeling was we wouldn’t be able to sign him,” Beathard said. “We knew from the outset we had a little difference of opinion about Gary. And that’s not a knock on Gary. Gary is an awfully good football player, but they felt that he was worth a lot more than we thought he was worth.

Beathard added: “The trade probably told more than anything about Gary Anderson. We had conversations with several teams when we made the decision to make the deal, and this was the best deal we could make. We’re happy with what we got.”