D-Backs’ Quentin dealt to Chicago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Finding a limited market for right fielder Carlos Quentin, the Diamondbacks made the best deal they could for him Monday while continuing to seek starting pitching.

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The D-Backs have talked to Cleveland about left-hander Cliff Lee, although he may be too costly, and continue to communicate with the agent for Japanese free agent Hiroki Koruda, the subject of much interest in an otherwise lackluster free agent market.

There continues to be industry belief the D-Backs will be a player if Oakland decides to trade Dan Haren and/or Joe Blanton, although nothing is likely to happen at the top end of the pitching market until Johan Santana’s fate is determined.

“That will set the landscape,” said D-Backs general manager Josh Byrnes, who met with four teams Monday and has more meetings scheduled today.

The trade of Quentin — to the Chicago White Sox for a low-level minor league first baseman — does nothing to damage the D-Backs’ chances of trading for a high-end starting pitcher, Byrnes said. The D-Backs’ best trading chip appears to be Double-A outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, whose path to the majors is blocked by Justin Upton. Speedy second baseman Emilio Bonifacio is also drawing interest from other clubs, including Washington.

The D-Backs hope to get a better sense of Koruda’s intentions when his agent arrives here amid reports that Seattle offered Kuroda a four-year, $40 million package. One industry source said the price could end up in the four-year, $48 million range.

Another baseball official pegged the D-Backs’ chances of landing Kuroda at “one in four,” with the Mariners the favorites because of their high-profile Japanese players and Japanese ownership. The bidding process also includes the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City.

The D-Backs’ initial offer is believed to be three years at $27 million, but Byrnes did not rule out a four-year package.

“There are a lot of ways to construct contracts,” Byrnes said. “It’s a bidding process. We have a pretty good discipline of checks and balances as to what we think is an offer that is appropriate.”

Kuroda does not throw quite as hard as countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka, but one scout said Kuroda has a breaking pitch that may be better.

Lee, 29, won 46 games for Cleveland from 2004-06, topping out at 18 in 2005, before losing his job in the rotation last year following a dreadful first half and being returned to Triple-A. He finished 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA.

Trade talks on all fronts are “still pretty preliminary,” Byrnes said. “There are more encouraging discussions than this time last year, but it is hard to get deals done. We are pretty active on a few fronts.”

In exchange for Quentin, the D-Backs acquired Single-A first baseman Chris Carter, who immediately becomes the best power prospect in the organization, Byrnes said.

Carter, who hit 25 home runs at Kannapolis last season, remains several years removed from the major leagues. He will start 2008 at high-A Visalia.

Quentin, meanwhile, is expected to compete for the vacant left field job with the White Sox.

“We always liked him when we played against him (in spring training),” said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who added Quentin will see some at-bats at DH against left-handers to give Jim Thome a day off.

“Carlos was obviously in a difficult situation in 2007, with the things that went wrong, most notably the injury, and having to reestablish himself with a pretty set starting outfield,” Byrnes said.

“While 2007 was not a great year for him, he is still Carlos Quentin. He has a chance to be a good player. We looked at a lot of ways to line up the best trade value for us, and we like Chris Carter. He has a nice power track record in the minors already. He’s a very solid power-bat prospect.”

Carter — no relation to the first baseman of the same name the D-Backs traded to Boston last season — hit .291 in the South Atlantic League in 2007 after being a Pioneer League All-Star at Great Falls in 2006.

Baseball America ranked Carter the White Sox’s sixth-best prospect and top nonpitcher.

The trade is good for Jeff Salazar, who is all but guaranteed to be the D-Backs’ fourth outfielder, Byrnes said.