The San Diego Padres made a surprise move on Saturday afternoon as they made a trade with the Chicago White Sox that has landed them outfielder Carlos Quentin for a pair of prospects. In return for Quentin, the Padres had to give up right-handed pitcher Simon Castro and left-handed pitcher Pedro Hernandez, both of which played for the club's Triple-A affiliate last season.

Quentin hit 24 home runs on his way to 77 RBIs last season, his sixth in the majors, and made his second All-Star game despite a .254 batting average. When Quentin connects, though, he can be a game changer -- something Padres general manager Josh Byrnes alluded to with his comments about the trade in the team's press release.

"Improving our offense is a priority this offseason," said Byrnes, "and the acquisition of Carlos gives us a proven middle-of-the-order bat. We specifically targeted Carlos because of his production and his hard-nosed style of play."

Castro and Hernandez were shuttled between the Padres' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates last season, but could certainly make the jump to the majors down the road.

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