The San Diego Padres have acquired 29-year old righty swinging RF Carlos Quentin from the White Sox for 23-year old righty starting pitcher Simon Castro and 22-year old lefty starter/reliever Pedro Hernandez. Quentin played in 118 games for the White Sox last year and he was 107 of 421 (.254 avg, .838 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 24 homers, 77 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 616 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 529 of 2,100 (.252 avg, .836 OPS) with 321 runs scored, 121 homers, 383 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Quentin will give the Padres some much needed thump in the middle of the batting order. Simon Castro came into last season as the Padres’ #3 prospect according to Baseball America….but he was awful in 2011. Castro pitched in 22 games (all starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 7-8 with a 5.63 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Pedro Hernandez wasn’t a highly ranked prospect for the Padres. He pitched in 28 games (18 starts) in A+AA+AAA-ball last year for the Padres and he was 10-3 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. I love this move from the Padres end of things as they really didn’t give up much for Quentin.

The Padres have designated 26-year old righty swinging catcher Luis Martinez for assignment. He played in 22 games for the Padres last year in his first taste of the majors and he was 12 for 59 (.203 avg, .614 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer, 10 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Martinez also played in 58 games in AAA-ball for the Padres last year and he was 64 for 198 (.323 avg, .813 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 1 homer, 28 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The Padres needed Martinez’ roster spot for the new additions in the Matt Latos deal.

UPDATE: (12/22/2011) - The Padres have dealt Luis Martinez to the Texas Rangers for 24-year old righty reliever Ryan Kelly. Kelly pitched in 40 games (5 starts) in A-ball for the Rangers last year and he was 3-6 with 9 saves, a 3.95 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Kelly has now pitched in 121 games (16 starts) in his first five years in the minors and he is 9-13 with 20 saves, a 4.50 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.

The San Diego Padres have dealt 24-year old righty starting pitcher Mat Latos to the Cincinnati Reds for 24-year old lefty swinging 1B Yonder Alonso, 28-year old righty starting pitcher Edison Volquez, 23-year old switch-hitting catcher Yasmani Grandal and 23-year old righty reliever Brad Boxberger. This was a very impressive haul for the Padres. Yonder Alonso will be the new starting 1B for the Padres. He was the Reds’ #4 prospect heading into last season according to Baseball America. Alonso played in 47 games for the Reds last year and he was 29 for 88 (.330 avg, .943 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 5 homers and 15 RBIs. He has now played in 69 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 35 for 117 (.299 avg, .833 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 5 homers and 18 RBIs. Edison Volquez will likely take Mat Latos’ spot in the Padres’ starting rotation. Volquez pitched in 20 games (all starts) for the Reds last year and he was 5-7 with a 5.71 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He has now pitched in 94 games (90 starts) in his first seven years in the majors and he is 33-29 with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. I think Bud Black and Petco Park will bring out the best in Volquez in 2012. Yasmani Grandal came into last year as the Reds’ #6 prospect last year according to Baseball America. He played in 105 games in A+AA+AAA-ball last year and he was 114 of 374 (.305 avg, .901 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 14 homers and 68 RBIs. Grandal has now played in 113 games in his first two years in the minors and he is 122 of 402 (.303 avg, .888 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 14 homers and 69 RBIs. Grandal could push Nick Hundley for the starting catcher job this spring. Brad Boxberger came into last year as the Reds’ #18 prospect according to Baseball America. He pitched in 55 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA-ball for the Reds last year and he was 2-4 with 11 saves, a 2.03 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Boxberger only gave up 32 hits in 62 innings in the minors last year, while whiffing 93 batters….showing just how nasty he is. He has pitched in 91 games (14 starts) in his first two years in the minors and he is 7-14 with 11 saves, a 3.75 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Boxberger could win a job in the Padres’ bullpen next spring.

Matt Latos pitched in 31 games (all starts) for the Padres last year and he was 9-14 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He pitched in 72 games (all starts) in his three years with the Padres and he was 27-29 with a 3.37 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Latos will be hard to replace at the top of the Padres’ starting rotation, but they just couldn’t pass up this deal.

The Padres have dealt 25-year old righty swinging outfielder Aaron Cunningham to the Cleveland Indians for 24-year old righty reliever Cory Burns. Cunningham played in 52 games for the Padres last year and he was 16 for 90 (.178 avg, .624 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 3 homers, 9 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He played in 105 games in his two years with the Padres and he was 54 for 222 (.243 avg, .697 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 4 homers, 24 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Cory Burns pitched in 54 games (0 starts) in AA-ball for the Indians last year and he was 2-5 with 35 saves, a 2.11 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He has now pitched in 130 games (0 starts) in his first three years in the minors and he is 6-9 with 88 saves, a 2.02 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Burns has only given up 108 hits in his first 147 1/3 innings with 188 whiffs and only 35 walks. This was an excellent deal for the Padres as Burns has a nice upside, while Cunningham was a huge disappointment for them.

The Padres have released 28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Eric Patterson. Patterson played in 47 games for the Padres last year and he was 16 for 89 (.180 avg, .564 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers, 8 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. He has now played in 226 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 110 for 508 (.217 avg, .637 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 10 homers, 50 RBIs and 35 stolen bases. This won’t be much of a loss for the Padres as Patterson didn’t play too well for them last year.