Quentin Agrees to Lucrative Contract with the San Diego Padres

Carlos Quentin won’t be leaving Southern California anytime soon…

The 29-year-old Mexican American baseball star has agreed to a $27 million, three-year contract with the San Diego Padres that includes a no-trade clause.

Carlos Quentin

Quentin, making $7,025,000 this year under his current deal, will get $9.5 million in each of the next two seasons and $8 million in 2015. The outfielder’s contract includes a $10 million mutual option for 2016, which would have a $3 million buyout if he has 320 starts or more from 2013-15.

“This is an amazing opportunity for me to stay and play in the city I grew up in,” Quentin said. “I believe in this organization and what they’re doing and I think they believe in me and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Quentin had arthroscopic right knee surgery during spring training and missed the first 49 games of the season. But he homered five times in his first six games for the Padres after being activated from the disabled list on May 28. He began the day with a .273 batting average, nine homers and 22 RBIs in 40 games.

“The reasoning hasn’t changed a lot since the day we traded for him,” said Padres general manager Josh Byrnes. “He’s a proven middle-of-the-order bat that we need. He brings an intensity, an edge and a swagger to our team that we need.”

Quentin, who was acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox on December 31, grew up in Chula Vista and attended University High School in San Diego.

Selected by Arizona with the 29th overall pick in the 2003 amateur draft, Quentin is a .253 career hitter with 130 home runs and 405 RBIs in 656 games.

“I’m happy about it,” said Padres manager Bud Black. “I think it’s great for the Padres, great for the city, and great for Carlos. Having Carlos for a number of years add continuity to the club. He’s a guy we can put in the middle of our order on a daily basis. There are a lot of positives.”

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