Padres acquired third baseman Vinny Castilla from the Nationals for RHP Brian Lawrence and cash.
And this is why the Red Sox shouldn't be unhappy at all about missing out on Kevin Towers. Lawrence could have rebounded and reemerged as a solid starter next year. Castilla, on the other hand, is likely to be a detriment as the Padres tries to defend their NL West title. The 38-year-old remains a fine defensive third baseman, but he hit just .253/.319/.403 in 494 AB last season and Petco Park will hurt him just as much as RFK Stadium did. Why the Padres felt the need to make this trade on Nov. 3 when there could have been many more possibilities later is beyond