The Padres have traded 28-year old righty starting pitcher Jake Peavy to the White Sox for 22-year old lefty starting pitcher Aaron Poreda, 25-year old lefty starting pitcher Clayton Richard, 26-year old righty reliever Adam Russell and 22-year old righty starting pitcher Dexter Carter. Peavy pitched in 13 games (all starts) for the Padres this season and he was 6-6 with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. In 8 seasons with the Padres, Peavy pitched in 212 games (all starts) in which he was 92-68 with a 3.29 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Peavy only allowed 1,158 hits in 1,342 2/3 innings as a Padre while whiffing 1,348 batters which shows how nasty his stuff really is. The Padres will miss Peavy who is one of the best pitchers in team history but they got a very impressive haul for him despite the fact that he’s hurt.

Aaron Poreda was the #3 rated prospect in the White Sox’ system coming into this season according to Baseball America. He pitched in 10 games (0 starts) for the White Sox earlier this season and he was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. The Padres will use him as a starting pitcher without a doubt as he has a huge upside. Poreda has started 12 games in AA+AAA ball this season and he was 5-4 with a 2.37 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He has only allowed 48 hits in 68 1/3 minor league innings while whiffing 72 batters which is pretty darn impressive. Clayton Richard was the White Sox’ #5 rated prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. He will also likely move right into the Padres’ starting rotation. He has pitched in 26 games (14 starts) for the White Sox this season and he was 4-3 with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. Richard has now pitched in 39 games (22 starts) in his major league career and he is 6-8 with a 5.14 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Look for Richard to benefit greatly by moving to San Diego. Adam Russell will move right into the Padres’ bullpen. He has pitched in 34 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball this season and he was 2-2 with 5 saves, a 3.20 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Russell only has allowed 39 hits in 56 1/3 innings this season while whiffing 51 batters which shows that his stuff is pretty good. Russell has also pitched in 22 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 4-0 with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. Dexter Carter was the #23 rated prospect in the White Sox’ system heading into the 2009 season according to Baseball America. He has started 19 games in A-ball this season and he was 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Carter has whiffed 143 batters in 118 innings this season while only allowing 103 hits which shows how nasty his stuff can be. This trade was too good for the Padres to pass up. My only objection is that they didn’t get any hitting at all in return for Peavy.

27-year old righty starting pitcher Tim Stauffer did not pitch in the majors last season. That’s because he had a 4-7 record with a 6.37 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP in 18 games (17 starts) in his major league career coming into this season. Still, because of all of the injuries to the pitching staff the Padres needed to call him up. Stauffer has started 3 games for the Padres so far this season and he is 0-2 with a 3.21 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. If Stauffer keeps pitching well he will have a home in San Diego.

The Padres have designated 24-year old switch hitting catcher Jose Lobaton for assignment. Lobaton played in 7 games for the Padres this season and he was 3 for 17 (.176 avg, .352 OPS). Lobaton also didn’t hit too well in the minors this season as he played in 39 AAA games in which he was 32 for 133 (.241 avg, .645 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 3 homers and 8 RBIs. It’s doubtful that Lobaton will reject a outright assignment to AAA to become a free agent.

UPDATE: Lobaton has been claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Padres have traded 26-year old righty reliever Cla Meredith to the Orioles for 31-year old righty swinging 1B/3B Oscar Salazar. Meredith pitched in 35 games (0 starts) for the Padres last season and he was 4-2 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. In four years with the Padres, Meredith pitched in 233 games (0 starts) in which he was 14-12 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. The Padres might miss Meredith down the road as he was a solid reliever for them. Oscar Salazar played in 17 games for the Orioles and he was 13 for 31 (.419 avg, 1.068 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs. Salazar has now played in 59 games in his major league career in which he is 40 for 133 (.301 avg, .880 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 8 homers and 24 RBIs. Salazar will likely be the first hitter off the bench for the Padres from Day #1. He could be much more than that down the road if the Padres move either Adrian Gonzalez or Kevin Kouzmanoff in trades.

The Padres have designated 27-year old righty starter/reliever Josh Banks for assignment. Banks pitched in 6 games (3 starts) for the Padres this season and he was 1-1 with a 7.15 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He allowed a stunning 30 hits (six of which were homers) in only 22 2/3 innings this season for the Padres. The Padres have recalled their #2 prospect according to Baseball America in 21-year old righty starting pitcher Mat Latos who will move right into the starting rotation making his major league debut on Monday. Latos pitched in 13 games (11 starts) in AA+AAA ball this season and he was 8-1 with a 1.37 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. He has only allowed 42 hits this season while whiffing 73 batters in only 72 1/3 innings. This was a smart move for the Padres who need to start bringing up their quality prospects seeing how this season has turned into a lost cause.