SAN DIEGO, July 22 (UPI) -- In a quiet trade Saturday night, the Chicago Cubs sent reliever Scott Williamson to National League West-leading San Diego for two Class A pitchers.
Heading into Saturday's games, the Padres had a 1/2 game lead over San Francisco and wanted to trade for a reliever to take pressure off of veteran closer Trevor Hoffman.
"This guy's been a closer (and) an All-Star," San Diego General Manager Kevin Towers said about Williamson on the team's Web site.
Williamson, 30, is 2-3 with a 5.08 ERA in 28 1/3 innings this season. He was National League Rookie of the Year in 1999 while with the Cincinnati Reds.
In his career, he is 27-26 with 484 strikeouts and 55 saves.
Towers said Williamson will join the Padres on Monday.
Since giving up the game-winning hit in the All-Star game on July 11, Hoffman has been sporadic. He is 0-2 but has 25 saves on the season.
