The Padres' acquisition of Joe Randa from the Reds on Saturday set off that chain reaction on the team's roster, with the first two parts holding significance of their own and the last part ending with a big question mark.

At least now the question of whether the Padres are willing to make a postseason run with 24-year-old Sean Burroughs struggling at third base has an answer.

That answer is no, and the 35-year-old Randa's arrival with his gaps power and sharp glove delivers the message loud and clear.

Meanwhile, reports of Phil Nevin going to Baltimore surfaced Saturday as well, although he'd have to waive his limited no-trade clause to clear a deal with the Orioles for right-hander Sidney Ponson. That's no certainty, but any shroud over Nevin's availability has been lifted.

With Nevin's no-trade rights going into full 10-and-5 mode about two months into 2006, the Padres are seeing what they can get for their slugging first baseman -- who hasn't been slugging a lot this year and has potential replacements at first base in Xavier Nady and Ryan Klesko. But nothing's done there, at least not yet.

The hello to Randa and goodbye to Burroughs, that much is set.

The deal to acquire Randa is the kind of move that tells you that the Padres' shrinking lead in the NL West has the team's brass as uncomfortable as it has the team's fans. While Randa isn't going to single-handedly pull the Padres out of a funk that has lasted weeks, at least he can bring some productivity to the team's scuffling offensive attack, which has been shut out four times in the last 11 games.

The Padres hope Randa gives them some of what they weren't getting from Burroughs -- consistent pop from their third baseman. Randa's particular hitting stroke could fit well with PETCO Park's spacious confines, where the gaps are huge and a doubles hitter can thrive. Randa doesn't represent any loss of defense, and he provides a certain boost on offense.

Dipping into their surplus of young pitching by dealing away Justin Germano and Travis Chick, the Padres are making this deal with this season in mind.

That said, this likely isn't and perhaps shouldn't be the end of Burroughs' run at third base for the Padres. Their No. 1 pick in the 1998 draft, Burroughs was expected to have developed some power in his naturally smooth left-handed stroke by now, but that just hasn't happened. So it's time for a reset, starting with a step back to Triple-A for the first time since 2002.

Burroughs was drafted and developed and given a shot at a young age to be the Padres' third baseman for years to come. But the last two seasons have been trying for Burroughs, and as he was asked to provide more power he actually provided much less.

Generally, his woes at the plate didn't carry out to the field. Other than the occasional youthful mistake, he continued to give the club good reason to put him at the hot corner. His defense and his overall effort were never in question.

But something wasn't clicking with his swing this year, and Burroughs was in a downward spiral of confidence. He wasn't exactly getting any votes of confidence from his bosses, either, and with each passing week his tenuous position with the club suffered deepening erosion.

He's still very young, and at age 24 he needs to find his stroke at Triple-A and get to where he's driving the ball more often than looping softly to the outfield or dribbling grounders. If he does make that adjustment, he's got a bright Major League future, if not with the Padres then with another club.

The point of Saturday's move is that the Padres weren't willing to wait any longer to get what they need offensively out of third base. Burroughs wasn't delivering it, and he wasn't showing signs of doing so any time soon.

They have good reason to believe Randa will deliver, and perhaps help get this foundering first-place team on track.