Roundup

O's deal with Wigginton likely to be final this week

baseball

The official announcement of infielder Ty Wigginton's two-year, $6 million deal with the Orioles is likely to come this week, perhaps as early as today. Wigginton, who had a physical Thursday in Baltimore, had a second round of tests yesterday, and the Orioles are not concerned that there will be any limitations on his playing status. Team officials declined to comment on the reason for the holdup of the announcement; however, they are confident that the deal will be finalized. Wigginton, 31, batted .285 with 23 home runs for the Houston Astros last season, and he has hit 22 or more homers while batting .275 or higher in each of the past three seasons. The right-handed hitter is expected to play third base, second base and first base, and also get time at designated hitter for the Orioles. Also, Orioles minor league director David Stockstill said the club is nearing a minor league deal with Japanese right-handed reliever Ryohei Tanaka, who will not get an invitation to major league spring training. Tanaka, who caught the eye of Orioles scout Gil Kubski while working out in California, pitched for several years with the Chiba Lotte Marines. He has been a starter and reliever in Japan, but Stockstill said the Orioles plan to use him in long relief.

JEFF ZREBIEC

Cardinals: : St. Louis released Adam Kennedy, leaving the second base job up for grabs with just a week to go before spring training. The team requested waivers on Kennedy, 33, that will expire tomorrow, when he'll become an unrestricted free agent. Kennedy is due to make $4 million this season, the last year of a three-year deal. His new club would have to pay him only the $400,000 minimum while the Cardinals would be responsible for the rest.

Bonds: : Federal prosecutors are again asking a judge in San Francisco to let them show a jury three drug test results they say show Barry Bonds used steroids. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said last week that she was inclined to throw out those results unless someone could directly testify to collecting the slugger's urine samples. The likeliest candidate to be able to do so is Bonds' former trainer, Greg Anderson. A lawyer for Anderson has said his client won't testify at Bonds' coming trial.

Rays: : Catcher Dioner Navarro went to a salary arbitration hearing, arguing he should get $2.5 million this year rather than the team's $2.1 million offer. He hit a team-high .295 last year with seven homers and 54 RBIs.