There is one big caveat to San Diego signing Quentin, who's eligible for free agency after the year, though. Beyond the obvious fact the Padres are a low-revenue team, the Padres' unsettled ownership situation could possibly come into play in a way that would diminish the team's chances to retain him.
Current owner John Moores has the team for sale. Expected to be for at least $500 million, the sale is obviously the priority. The Dodgers were able to lock up star outfielder Matt Kemp to a $160-million, eight-year deal while lame-duck owner Frank McCourt was still in power, but an unsettled ownership situation always still carries the potential to impact big-money deals, especially for a small-market team. The ownership situation isn't likely to be settled before the August owners meetings.
The Padres acquired Quentin because they saw him as the middle-of-the-order presence they needed, but they couldn't have envisioned his unreal production since coming off the disabled list. He is hitting .522 through six games with nine extra-base hits (five homers and four doubles) and an otherworldly 1.925 OPS.
Quentin is expcted to seek a large deal based on his career .847 OPS and ability to carry a club when hot and healthy. So perhaps the Padres can't even affordn him under the best of circumstances.
While a case could be made that a couple of comps for Quentin could be Michael Cuddyer, who got $31.5 million for three years from Colorado, and Josh Willingham, who got $21 million for three years from Minnesota, Quentin's shown a greater ability to carry a club when right. Plus, a potentially thin market for middle-of-the-order bats and a new economy, based upon the Dodgers' enormous sale price, and other recent player signings could drive his price up much higher than that.
In the meantime, a trade remains very possible, maybe even probable. Teams that could seek another right-handed bat include the Phillies, Rangers (though they probably would be satisfied with a platoon type), Tigers and several others.
But there's another team that could use Quentin, as well, and that is the Padres.