KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- As Spring Training progressed, it became increasingly obvious to the Houston Astros that Tim Redding was in need of a change of scenery.

The right-hander did little, if anything, to break away from the others who were vying for the fifth starter job, and by Monday -- the day before Redding's final scheduled start in Florida -- if the Astros had to rank the candidates based on spring performances, Redding was right near the bottom.

On Wednesday, Redding will continue his pursuit to be a fifth starter when he makes a spring start for his new team, the San Diego Padres. Redding was dealt to the Padres on Monday, in a trade that sent minor league catcher Humberto Quintero to the Astros.

"I'm happy with the opportunity to start over with a new organization and be on a team still considered a contender for the playoffs," Redding said. "And I'll have the chance to be a starter. It was my goal the whole spring to try to win a starting job."

The Astros had high hopes for Redding after they picked him in the 20th round in the 1997 First-Year Player Draft. The right-hander sailed through the minor league system and was considered to be a future ace of the Major League staff.

But Redding struggled for four years after reaching the Majors in 2001. Last year, in an effort to give him a confidence boost, the Astros named Redding as the fifth starter a month before Spring Training began. But Redding was largely ineffective for the first three months of the regular season, was demoted to the bullpen and eventually sent to the minor leagues.

In 2005, he entered Spring Training as one of six candidates for the fifth starter job. Redding was told by management that he was not guaranteed a position on the club, and he stated publicly that he didn't want to move to the bullpen if he didn't land in the rotation. He said he would ask the club to trade him if he couldn't start.

Redding did not request the trade that sent him to the Padres on Monday, but both he and the Astros agreed the deal was a positive for both sides.

"It's a sad moment to leave the organization, but a good moment, because I know this is the best thing for me," Redding said, adding that Roger Clemens called to wish him good luck just before heading to the field to start against the Tigers in Lakeland. "I'm sad to leave the guys I played with for years and the guys I looked up to coming up, the veterans."

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"I said to him, 'We didn't see you making the fifth starter spot and it's probably time for a change of scenery, to get a different perspective,'" Houston general manager Tim Purpura said. "You get different things from different people, and maybe something will click for him.

"It's tough when you trade players who you draft, sign and develop. They're the fabric of the organziation for so long. But there comes a time when change is good. It's a good situation for him. [Petco Park] is a good park for pitchers, and [the Padres] are a team with a chance to win."

In return, the Astros receive a player who helps to replenish the catching depth in the minor league system. Quintero, according to Purpura, has an "extremely strong, accurate arm," similar to Astros backup catcher Raul Chavez.

"He's a very good blocker, and he calls a good game," Purpura said.

Quintero hit .250 (12-for-72) with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 23 games for San Diego in 2004. In 35 career Major League games over two seasons with the Padres, 2003-04, he hit .242 (23-for-95) with two home runs and 12 RBIs.

Quintero played 68 games at Triple-A Portland last year, hitting .317 (82-for-259) with five home runs, 30 RBIs and 25 doubles. He was acquired by the Padres from the Chicago White Sox on July 12, 2002, along with outfielder Alex Fernandez, in exchange for infielder D'Angelo Jimenez.

The 25-year-old native of Venezuela will start the season at Triple-A Round Rock.

When the Astros traded top catching prospect John Buck last June in the three-team trade that brought Carlos Beltran to Houston, the organization was concerned with how thin the farm system was in terms of catchers. Purpura noticed Quintero when the Astros played the Padres last year, and when San Diego expressed interest in Redding, it took very little time to work out a deal.

"He has a good arm and he likes to show it off," Purpura said of Quintero. "And he's got pop in his bat. The trade made a whole lot of sense -- he fills a need for us if [Brad] Ausmus or Chavez [gets] hurt."