SAN DIEGO -- Center fielder Mike Cameron won't be coming
back to the San Diego Padres, his agent said Friday night.
"Mike's tenure in San Diego is over," Mike Nicotera said in an
e-mail to The Associated Press. "He enjoyed his time there, his
time with the fans, and certainly his teammates. We were just
unable to reach agreement with the club. They are moving in another
direction as are we."
Padres general manager Kevin Towers confirmed that the talks
were off.
"For now, yes," Towers said in an e-mail.
Add the Philadelphia Phillies to the list of teams interested in Cameron. Earlier in the offseason, the Phillies had indicated Cameron wasn't on their shopping list. But now, in the wake of Aaron Rowand's signing with the Giants and the breakdown Friday in Cameron's negotiations to return to San Diego, the Phillies have expressed interest, a source with knowledge of the discussions told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
Cameron was the center fielder in Seattle when Phillies general manager Pat Gillick was GM for the Mariners. And with the loss of Rowand and Michael Bourn (traded to Houston), the Phillies are looking to add either a center fielder or right fielder, with Shane Victorino manning whichever of those two positions they aren't able to fill.
Cameron would be the second
outfielder in less than a week to spurn an offer to return to the
Padres if the talks are indeed over. Left fielder Milton Bradley on Sunday accepted a one-year
deal from the Texas Rangers worth approximately $5 million. The
Padres had offered $4 million.
Plus, the Padres lost out in the bidding for Japanese outfielder
Kosuke Fukudome, who signed with the Chicago Cubs.
Cameron is suspended for the first 25 games of next season after
testing positive a second time for a banned stimulant.
Nicotera said "a few new clubs" are interested in Cameron, but
he declined to name them.
"We are going to take a step back and continue to explore these
discussions further, as it is our understanding that some player
movement which could affect the market for Mike is imminent," he
said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.