San Diego, CA (My Sportsbook) - The San Diego Padres have acquired third baseman Vinny Castilla from the Washington Nationals in exchange for right- handed pitcher Brian Lawrence.

The Nationals made the move, feeling Ryan Zimmerman, the fourth overall pick in the 2005 draft, is ready to move into the starting role at third base.

The 38-year-old Castilla, a two-time All-Star, hit .253 with 12 home runs, 36 doubles and 66 RBI in 142 games with the Nationals last season. He finished 2005 ranked second among all NL third basemen with a .970 fielding percentage.

However, it was a sharp contrast to how Castilla performed with the Colorado Rockies in 2004, when he batted .271 with 35 homers and 131 RBI.

Over parts of 15 seasons with Atlanta, Colorado, Tampa Bay, Houston and Washington, Castilla has a career batting average of .278 with 315 home runs and 1,078 RBI.

The 29-year-old Lawrence just completed his fifth major league season, all with the Padres. He went 7-15 with a 4.83 ERA in 33 starts last season and is 49-61 with a 4.10 ERA in 162 career games (146 starts).

Zimmerman hit .397 in 20 games for the Nationals after being recalled from the minors last season. He was the second player from the 2005 draft to reach the big leagues, and less than a month out of college, hit .326 with nine home runs and 32 RBI in 63 games with Double-A Harrisburg.