Saturday, the Cincinnati Reds traded starting pitcher Edinson Volquez and three young players — first baseman Yonder Alonso, catcher Yasmani Grandal, and pitcher Brad Boxberger — to the San Diego Padres for starting pitcher Mat Latos.

Minor League Ball’s John Sickels offers scoring reports on the trio of prospects; his big finish:

This seems like a trade that will help both teams, although in different ways. The Reds didn’t have room for Alonso and they like Mesoraco slightly better than Grandal. They took two blocked players and a pair of surplus arms and turned it into an established starter in Latos. The Padres add depth to an already-strong farm system, and all three prospects involved are either ready (Alonso) or almost ready (Boxberger, Grandal) to contribute. If these three guys develop to their maximum potential, the Padres will get the better of this trade in the long run.

John’s a nice guy, and perhaps tending toward charitability here. Latos is a fine pitcher, but everyone seems to be highly impressed with the talent the Padres received in this deal.