Nationals find taker for Castilla

By Jim Callis
November 3, 2005

When Sean Burroughs went in the tank this season, the Padres made a July trade for Joe Randa. With Randa headed to free agency, San Diego made a curious move to get another third baseman on Thursday, picking up Vinny Castilla from the Nationals for Brian Lawrence. The Padres also included cash in the deal, approximately $550,000 to cover the difference in their 2006 salaries plus a $250,000 trade bonus due Lawrence.

Castilla, 38, is on his last legs. He batted .253/.319/.403 with 12 homers and 66 RBIs in 142 games this year, including just .236-9-50 after April. His bat speed has slowed, and he was bothered by tendinitis in his knees. He may grade out better as a defender than as a hitter at this point of his career, and he's a well below-average runner. His departure clears the way for Ryan Zimmerman, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 draft, to start at the hot corner for the Nationals. Castilla will make $3.2 million this year as his two-year, $6.2 million deal ends. He's a career .278/.324/.483 hitter with 315 homers and 1,078 RBIs in 1,767 games.

Lawrence, a 29-year-old righthander, is an innings-eater whose ERA has steadily climbed in his five years in the majors. He had the worst season of his career in 2005, going 7-15, 4.83 in 33 starts. He had a 109-57 strikeout-walk ratio in 196 innings, while opponents batted .273 with 18 homers against him. Lawrence doesn't have a plus pitch, as he relies mainly on command. He works mostly with a high-80s sinker and a slider, and he struggles against lefthanders, who tagged him for an .841 OPS this year. He'll make $3.5 million this year, the final season of a four-year, $8.1 million contract. He's also due either a $550,000 buyout or $5.7 million salary for 2007. He owns a career 49-61, 4.10 record in 162 games.