Paul Lo Duca and the Washington Nationals agreed to a one-year contract pending a physical, according to several reports Monday. Lo Duca, a free-agent catcher who played for the New York Mets the past two seasons, would give the Nationals a veteran to replace Brian Schneider behind the plate. Washington traded Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church to the Mets last month in the deal that sent outfielder Lastings Milledge to the Nationals.
A four-time All-Star from 2003-06, Lo Duca hit .272 with nine homers and a .311 on-base percentage this season that was the lowest of any Mets regular — and lower than Schneider’s .326. Both Lo Duca and Schneider drove in 54 runs.
The agreement was first reported on The Washington Post’s Web site, citing an unidentified source; MLB.com and ESPN.com also said Lo Duca and the Nationals have a deal in place.
In 10 major league seasons with the Dodgers, Marlins and Mets, Lo Duca has batted .288 with 80 homers and 466 RBIs.