In a Tweet by MLB.com’s Corey Brock, he reports that the San Diego Padres have signed veteran catcher Gregg Zaun to a Minor League contract.

Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune was the first to report that the sides were closing in on a deal on January 13.  He indicated that Zaun would compete for the backup catching job with Rob Johnson and Guillermo Quiroz.

The 39-year-old Zaun has been the target of several teams this winter including the Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics.  A previous report indicated that Zaun’s preference was Tampa.

The veteran catcher just finished his 16th season in the Major Leagues, and he has said he would like to come back for the 2011 season. Before he went down with a shoulder injury in 2010, he was hitting .265/.350/.392 with 2 home runs and 14 RBIs in 28 games for the Brewers. Milwaukee declined his $2.25 million option after the season, they opted to pay a $250,000 buyout instead.