The Padres have designated 26-year old righty reliever Mike Ekstrom for assignment to make room on the roster for Jon Garland. Ekstrom pitched in 12 games (0 starts) for the Padres last season and he was 0-0 with a 6.38 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. He also pitched in 42 games (1 start) in AAA-ball last season in which he was 4-2 with a 1.73 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. Ekstrom pitched two years for the Padres working in 20 games (0 starts) in which he was 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP. The trade-off of Garland for Ekstrom is huge for the Padres.

UPDATE: The Rays have claimed Ekstrom off waivers.