SAN DIEGO —— The trade deadline isn't until the last day of July, but the Padres decided to start early. Late Friday night, they finalized a deal that will send pitchers Darrell May and Tim Redding and cash to the New York Yankees for veteran reliever Paul Quantrill, who was designated for assignment on Thursday.

Quantrill, a 36-year-old right-hander, went 1-0 with a 6.75 earned-run average in 22 games for the struggling Yankees, but as recently as 2003 he was one of the best setup men in baseball. That season, he boasted a 1.75 ERA in 89 appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers as the pitcher most charged with handing a lead to record-setting closer Eric Gagne.

For his career, which also includes stops in Boston, Philadelphia and Toronto, Quantrill is 67-76 with a 3.82 ERA. His 2005 salary is $3 million.

In return for a struggling pitcher, Padres general manager Kevin Towers unloaded two of them on his good friend, Yankees GM Brian Cashman. The Padres brought in both the left-handed May and the right-handed Redding to help them resolve their woes at the back of the rotation. Neither pitcher had much success, however. May was 1-3 with a 5.61 ERA, including eight starts, and Redding was 0-5 with a 9.10 ERA, including six starts.

More personnel shuffling will likely take place today. The Padres are expected to put center fielder Dave Roberts on the disabled list and activate utility player Eric Young from a rehab assignment with Triple-A Portland. They also must raid the Beavers for a pitcher to start for Adam Eaton, who had his scheduled Tuesday outing pushed back after experiencing discomfort in his strained right middle finger while throwing in the bullpen Friday. One possibility is veteran righty Pedro Astacio, whom the Padres signed from the Texas Rangers on Thursday.