SAN DIEGO —— The Padres began the process of retooling their outfield to better fit Petco Park when they acquired Gold Glove center fielder Mike Cameron from the New York Mets for first baseman/outfielder Xavier Nady on Wednesday.

The trade is contingent on Cameron passing an eye exam, a Padres source confirmed. The 32-year-old didn't play for the Mets after Aug. 11, when he broke both cheekbones and his nose in a horrific outfield collision with teammate Carlos Beltran in San Diego. Afterward, he complained of light sensitivity.

The Padres also signed free-agent infielder Geoff Blum to a one-year, $650,000 contract, with an opportunity to earn another $200,000 in performance bonuses. Blum began last season with the Padres before being traded on July 31 to the Chicago White Sox, with whom he won a World Series title.

Assuming the Nady deal goes through, Padres general manager Kevin Towers will have finally landed his man in Cameron, whom he tried to sign as a free agent after the 2003 season before settling on Jay Payton. Cameron instead signed a three-year contract with the Mets, but Towers reportedly pursued him via trade multiple times last season.

The athletic, strong-armed Cameron won Gold Gloves as a center fielder for the Seattle Mariners in 2001 and ë03. The Mets, however, moved him to right this year to make room for Beltran, their coveted arrival from the Houston Astros. Cameron was playing right field when he collided with Beltran at Petco Park.

There will be no such position debate with the Padres. Cameron will man center, thereby pushing holdover Dave Roberts to a corner outfield spot, to the bench, or out of town. Roberts, who battled numerous injuries while making $1.35 million last season, is eligible for arbitration for the final time.

The exit of Nady, meanwhile, could mean a return to first base for Ryan Klesko, who led the club with 18 home runs while playing left field last year.

Towers declined to discuss the trade or its ramifications until it becomes official.

As part of the deal, the Padres are expected to pick up all of the $7 million owed to Cameron in 2006, the final year of his contract. He batted a career-high .273 with 12 homers and 39 RBIs in 308 at-bats last season. His career average over 11 years is a mediocre .249, but he offers the Padres both power (173 homers) and speed (229 stolen bases).

The Mets had discussed a trade that would have netted Padres reliever Akinori Otsuka, but ended up with Nady instead. Nady, who turned 27 on Monday, had been in line for a starting role in 2006 after sharing time at first base and in the outfield last season, when he hit .261 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs.

The Padres traded first baseman Phil Nevin in late July with the intent of giving more starts to Nady, but he soon fell back into a platoon with Mark Sweeney and Robert Fick. An All-American at Cal and a second-round draft pick in 2002, the powerful Nady has long been sought by other clubs.

Despite winning the World Series with the White Sox —— his 14th-inning homer made him the hero of Game 3 against Houston —— Blum jumped at the chance to return to Southern California. The wife of the San Clemente resident gave birth to triplets in May, and Blum wept over having to leave his family behind at midseason.

The Padres wanted him back as insurance for shortstop Khalil Greene, who went down twice with injuries during the stretch drive, forcing the team to use Wilson Valdez and Manny Alexander. Blum batted .241 with five homers and 22 RBIs for the Padres, and .229 with six homers and 25 RBIs overall.

"He's a very versatile player and a switch-hitter," Towers said of Blum, who was traded for minor-league pitcher Ryan Meaux. "I think we missed having him when Greene got hurt. Plus, he's a quality guy in the clubhouse."

Elsewhere, Towers said he hasn't spoken with the representatives for free agents Trevor Hoffman or Brian Giles since the parties exchanged contract proposals after the World Series. Rick Thurman, Hoffman's agent, said this week that returning to the Padres is "a dead issue at this point." The team hasn't budged from its two-year, $10 million offer, which is one year and at least $15 million less than Thurman is seeking.

"It doesn't look like they're that interested," Thurman said. "My sense is they're done with Trevor. The writing is on the wall."

Contact staff writer Brian Hiro at b_hiro@hotmail.com.