Padres Step Up Talks About Irabu

San Diego’s talks with the New York Yankees and New York Mets for the rights to pitcher Hideki Irabu intensified Saturday.

The Yankees are offering injured outfielder Ruben Rivera and minor league right-hander Rafael Medina and about $2.5 million for the rights to Irabu, a source familiar with negotiations said on the condition he not be identified. San Diego also would send New York two minor leaguers: outfielder Gordon Amerson and infielder Juan Mello.

The Mets are offering about $1.5 million in cash, the choice of pitchers Dave Mlicki or Mark Clark and a minor leaguer. The Mets’ offer would be conditioned, at least in part, on their signing the 27-year-old right-hander.

It’s unclear if the Padres have said which offer they prefer.

Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, trying to gain leverage in his talks with the Padres, has said his team may withdraw from the Irabu talks if it signs pitcher Rolando Arrojo, a Cuban defector who became a free agent when he gained Costa Rican residency earlier this year.

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Tim Bishop, a 20-year-old outfielder for the New York Mets’ Class-A Columbia team, was killed early Saturday in an automobile accident at Columbia, S.C.

The South Atlantic League team had come back from a trip to Hagerstown, Md., and the players were returning to their homes when the accident occurred.

Bishop and another player, Randy Vickers, were driving home when a blown tire caused their car to spin. Vickers went to the median to alert passing traffic about the trouble and a car crashed into their vehicle, instantly killing Bishop.