SAN DIEGO - An ever-changing Padres clubhouse was first and foremost on Trevor Hoffman's mind before Tuesday night's game following a wild day of trading.

The team added third baseman Morgan Ensberg, outfielder Rob Mackowiak and pitcher Wilfredo Ledezma via three separate trade-deadline deals and later fired hitting coach Merv Rettenmund.

Last Wednesday the Padres dealt popular reliever Scott Linebrink for two minor leaguers and reliever Joe Thatcher, and that deal was preceded by the additions of catcher Michael Barrett and outfielder Milton Bradley. The club also added outfielder Scott Hairston on Saturday and signed infielder Shea Hillenbrand to a minor-league deal.

Outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. was designated for assignment Tuesday night. Today, two more players off the Padres' 25-man roster - which is 7-11 since the All-Star break - will be moved to make way for the new arrivals.

And the switch, and its potential effect on the clubhouse, were a bit concerning for Hoffman.

"I think today's (moves) caught people off guard," Hoffman said. "There's a bit of scrambling around not knowing what happened or why. I'm a big believer in clubhouse chemistry. … It's dangerous. There are only so many spots. Its musical chairs and you better get a chair."

The first body the Padres added to the mix was Ensberg, who had 36 home runs and 101 RBIs and finished fourth in the 2005 MVP vote, and whom they acquired along with cash for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Ensberg has struggled since 2005, however, and had only eight homers this season and was hitting .232 before he was designated for assignment on Sunday.

Last year he had 23 home runs but hit .235.

Towers said Ensberg is coming to the Padres as a bench player and not to compete with rookie Kevin Kouzmanoff for the starting job at third base.

Later in the day the team sent Single-A Lake Elsinore reliever Jon Link to the Chicago White Sox for the versatile Mackowiak, who is hitting .278 with six homers and 36 RBIs. Mackowiak has played first, second and third base and all three outfield positions during his career.

Finally the Padres added Ledezma, whom Atlanta designated for assignment Sunday. The Padres envision him as a spot starter/long reliever. They also acquired Triple-A pitcher Will Startup in an exchange for San Diego State alumnus Royce Ring.

"Our bench wasn't quite as strong as it should be," general manager Kevin Towers said. "We didn't take away from the core of our club. … And looking at our division we gained a little ground."

The only other active National League West teams were the Los Angeles Dodgers, who peddled Wilson Betemit to the New York Yankees for reliever Scott Proctor, and the San Francisco Giants, who dumped Matt Morris' big salary in a trade with Pittsburgh.

Towers also pointed out that few big names - Mark Teixeira to Atlanta and Eric Gagne to Boston were most notable - were dealt before the deadline and noted that the team took on an extra $2 million in salary.

"There wasn't a lot to choose from," Towers said. "We got a couple of guys who could improve our bench a great deal."

While the new players can definitely have an impact, it remains to be seen who they will take over for. Candidates to be moved include pitchers Clay Hensley, Justin Hampson, Joe Thatcher and Tim Stauffer, who all have options. Pitcher Justin Germano, who is out of options, is another possibility.

Bradley said in spite of all the changes and uncertainty that he and his teammates need to find a way to get through their recent slump.

"You have to find your own motivation," Bradley said. "You can't depend on somebody else to do something. Guys gotta dig deep. Once you get to the postseason anything can happen."

Hoffman is prepared to dig deep. But he's still concerned with having to get to know another new batch of teammates - a task he'd rather handle in spring training.

"I think it takes time for people to get over that greeting phase," Hoffman said. "It takes time to be around people. We don't have a lot of time right now with two months left in the season."

- Contact staff writer Dan Hayes at dhayes@nctimes.com.