Gibson Reported to Request Trade : Dodgers: Outfielder wants to live closer to his home and business in Detroit, sources say.

Kirk Gibson has requested that the Dodgers trade him because he wishes to play closer to his Detroit home. Gibson probably won’t sign with the Dodgers when his contract expires at the end of the season, two sources close to the team have confirmed.

The sources, who declined to be identified, say that the Dodgers’ recent discussions with the Detroit Tigers about a trade are a response to that request. A deal with the Tigers, where Gibson played for parts of nine seasons before joining the Dodgers in 1988, could be completed as soon as Gibson returns to the lineup after recovering from a groin injury, possibly next week.

The sources said that the Tigers have offered veteran pitcher Frank Tanana, but that the Dodgers are holding out for an additional pitching prospect, perhaps minor leaguer Steve Searcy.

Dodger Vice President Fred Claire would neither confirm nor deny the report.

“I have spoken to Kirk and I have spoken to his agent, Doug Baldwin,” Claire confirmed. “Beyond that, I’m really not going to talk about those conversations. I consider those conversations to be in confidence.”

Baldwin said any such trade talk is premature.

Said Baldwin: “Any talk about Kirk being traded is meaningless until he is healthy. Anything before that is pure speculation.”

Said Gibson: “That’s crazy, I am not going to say anything about that. It’s wrong to be talking about something like that now.”

Tanana, who will be 37 July 3, is 5-4 with a 5.01 earned-run average in 14 starts. He has pitched in parts of 18 major league seasons, all in the American League, and could reject a trade because of his veteran status. Dodger scout Gary Sutherland has been recently following his progress.

Gibson has a lucrative real estate development business near Detroit, where he spends his winters and some days off during the season.

When the Dodgers flew to Cincinnati from Los Angeles for Thursday’s day off in preparation for a weekend series here, Gibson flew to Detroit. He joined the team here Friday.

Gibson, the National League’s most valuable player in 1988, has struggled in Los Angeles since leading the Dodgers to the world championship that year with his game-winning home run off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the World Series.

Gibson has played in only 85 games since then, batting 300 times, with a .210 average and 12 home runs and 36 runs batted in. He has been plagued by injuries to his legs.

There also has been trouble off the field. Last year, he and his family were robbed at gunpoint outside their Santa Monica home. He has since moved.

Claire said he would not trade Gibson, or any player, simply because they requested a trade. But he said he always considers a players’ feelings.

“My main intention is always to do what is best for the Dodgers,” Claire said. “At the same time, I listen to what a player has to say. And I listen to what a player’s agent says. I consider that very important.”

Claire said if Gibson were traded, it should not be construed as the Dodgers giving up on the season. With Gibson’s replacement in center field, Stan Javier, on a 12-game hitting streak, many say a fifth starting pitcher could make the Dodgers a contender.

“Right now my only interest is continuing in the direction we are headed, to get back in serious contention,” Claire said. “We are on that road, and I want us to stay on that road.”