Padres trade Craig Kimbrel to Red Sox in exchange for prospects

— -- The Boston Red Sox acquired four-time National League All-Star closer  Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres in exchange for several prospects Friday night.

The Padres received outfielder Manuel Margot, shortstop Javier Guerra, infielder Carlos Asuaje and left-hander Logan Allen.

The Red Sox assume the $25 million remaining on Kimbrel's contract in their first big acquisition since Dave Dombrowski took over as president of baseball operations Aug. 18.

Dombrowski does not shy away from making trades, whether to build for the future or improve his current roster. His moves have included a December 2007 trade that sent 22-year-old Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin and four others to the Marlins for Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera; the December 2009 trade that sent Curtis Granderson (28 at the time) to the  New York Yankees and Edwin Jackson (26) to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-team deal for Phil Coke, Austin Jackson, Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth; and the July 2014 trade of Austin Jackson (27) to the Seattle Mariners and Drew Smyly and Willy Adames to the Tampa Bay Rays in the three-team deal that netted David Price.

He also was responsible for trading Randy Johnson to the Mariners (1989), Trevor Hoffman to the Padres (1993), Edgar Renteria to the St. Louis Cardinals (1998), and Johan Santana to the Minnesota Twins (1999).

The Padres traded for Kimbrel just hours before the season started in April as part of a series of deals by general manager A.J. Preller last offseason. But the Padres quickly faltered, and the team had serious discussions with the Houston Astros and Yankees about a deal for Kimbrel at the trade deadline. San Diego's disappointing 74-88 finish led to the firing of manager Bud Black.

Kimbrel, 27, reached 30 saves for the fifth consecutive season, with 39 saves in 43 chances, also going 4-2 with a 2.58 ERA in 61 appearances. Since the start of his first full major league season in 2011, Kimbrel leads all major league relievers in saves (224) and is second in ERA (1.70), strikeouts (523), strikeouts per nine innings (14.37) and save percentage (90.7).

Margot, 21, has a .282 average with 70 doubles, 23 triples, 23 home runs and 132 stolen bases in 342 career minor league games. He hit .276 with six home runs and 50 RBIs between Class A Salem and Double-A Portland in 2015. Guerra, 20, was named the Red Sox minor league defensive player of the year and was ranked as Baseball America's best defensive shortstop while playing for Class A Greenville. 

Asuaje spent 2015 with Double-A Portland. Allen, Boston's eighth-round draft pick, split time between the Red Sox's rookie-level affiliate and Class A Lowell.

Friday's move is the second in two days for the Padres. On Thursday, the Padres sent 38-year-old right-hander Joaquin Benoit to the Seattle Mariners for two minor league prospects -- right-handed pitcher Enyel De Los Santos and infielder Nelson Ward.

ESPN senior writer Jayson Stark, ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.