Nationals send Castilla to Padres for pitcher

Third baseman Vinny Castilla was traded by the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres for right-hander Brian Lawrence and cash Thursday night.

The move paves the way for Ryan Zimmerman, the No. 4 overall pick in June's amateur draft, to start at third for the Nationals next season.

The Padres have long been looking for help at third. Sean Burroughs struggled so badly he was sent to the minors in July when San Diego acquired Joe Randa in a trade with Cincinnati. Randa filed for free agency after the season.

The 38-year-old Castilla, hampered by knee tendinitis last season, hit .253 with 12 home runs and 66 RBIs in his first season with the former Expos. He led the NL in RBIs with Colorado in 2004, and signed a $6.2 million, two-year deal as a free agent with Washington last offseason.

But with Zimmerman's emergence -- he hit .397 with 10 doubles in 58 at-bats as a September call-up -- Castilla's status in Washington wasn't certain. Late in the season, Castilla said he didn't want to stay in Washington if he'd be a backup.

* Atlanta outfielder Andruw Jones was voted the Players Choice player of the year award by major leaguers.

Jones hit a major league-leading 51 homers and paced the NL with 128 RBIs. Jones also was picked as the NL's outstanding player, and Boston designated hitter David Ortiz was selected in the AL.

Players voted on the awards Sept. 13-14.

Bartolo Colon of the Los Angeles Angels was the AL's outstanding pitcher, and Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals took the NL award. Houston outfielder Willy Taveras and Oakland reliever Huston Street were selected outstanding rookies, and Cincinnati outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. and New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi were voted comeback players of the year.

Kansas City first baseman Mike Sweeney was voted the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award for on-field performance and community contributions.

* Former baseball star Dwight Gooden was sentenced to three years' probation Thursday after pleading guilty to speeding away from police following a traffic stop last August.

The 40-year-old ex-pitcher will remain for an indefinite time at a drug treatment facility where he has spent the past month and a half.

"I'm very sorry for these actions," Gooden told Judge Nick Nazaretian. "And I thank the state for giving me the opportunity to get along with my life."

Gooden pleaded guilty to a felony count of fleeing police, misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and obstruction and to an unrelated charge of hitting his girlfriend.

* Former Kansas City manager Tony Pena was hired by the New York Yankees on Thursday as their first base coach and said he likely would withdraw as a candidate to manage the Dominican Republic in next year's inaugural World Baseball Classic.

"We have a lot of new coaches," Pena said. "We need to get familiar with every player."

After he left Kansas City last spring, Pena said he wanted to lead the Dominicans in the 16-team tournament that will be played from March 3-20.