PHOENIX -- So maybe that old saying is correct; you can never have too much pitching.

The Padres signed 34-year-old right-handed pitcher Brett Tomko on Tuesday in a move they hope will give them additional bullpen depth and maybe a candidate to start the remainder of the season.

An official announcement is expected before the start of the Padres' game tonight against the Diamondbacks.

Tomko was 2-11 with a 5.80 ERA in 33 games (15 starts) for the Dodgers before being designated for assignment Aug. 24 to open a spot on the 25-man roster for, oddly enough, former Padres pitcher David Wells.

It was not immediately known Tuesday if Tomko would immediately step in to fill the team's vacant fifth starter spot or if he would pitch in relief.

Tomko was in the final season of a two-year, $8.7 million contract with the Dodgers.

Tomko pitched for the Padres in 2002, going 10-10 with a 4.49 ERA in 32 starts, and he still makes his offseason home in San Diego.

For his career, Tomko has a 91-91 career record with a 4.62 ERA in stints with the Reds, Mariners, Padres, Cardinals, Giants and Dodgers. Tomko has won 13 games twice in his career -- in 1998 with the Reds and 2003 with the Cardinals.

Tomko threw a no-hitter for Triple-A Tacoma on July 3, 2001, while he was still with the Mariners organization.

The Padres also learned Tuesday that catcher Pete Laforest -- designated for assignment last week -- was claimed by the Philadelphia Phillies. San Diego had hoped that Laforest would have passed through waivers so that they could have retained him.

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