With Marlin Deal, Lo Duca Can Buy, Not Rent

Paul Lo Duca agreed Wednesday to an $18-million, three-year contract with the Marlins, who acquired the catcher in a trade with the Dodgers last summer.

“When Jeffrey Loria said publicly not too long after we acquired Paul that he was not a summer rental, he meant it,” Marlin General Manager Larry Beinfest said, referring to the team’s owner.

Lo Duca, a fan favorite with the Dodgers, was shocked and teary-eyed when the trade was announced in July. But he soon became enamored with catching the Marlins’ crop of young, talented starters -- Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett and Dontrelle Willis -- and decided Florida was the right place for him. They are joined by veterans Al Leiter -- who threw a no-hitter in 1996 -- and Ismael Valdez.

“It is a lot of fun catching these guys,” said Lo Duca, who avoided salary arbitration by accepting the deal. “You have four guys who can throw a no-hitter at any time. That makes it interesting.”

Lo Duca, who turns 32 on April 12, batted .258 with three home runs and 31 runs batted in in 53 games last season with the Marlins. He’s a career .285 batter, with 60 home runs, 306 RBIs and 133 doubles in 640 games.

“He really came as advertised,” Beinfest said. “Clutch hitter, strong leader and just a very, very tough player.”

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Shea Hillenbrand was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Adam Peterson.

Hillenbrand, acquired from Boston in May 2003, batted a team-high .310 for the Diamondbacks last season with 15 home runs and 80 RBIs. A third baseman most of his career, he played first base last season for Arizona.

Also, left-hander Shawn Estes agreed to a one-year, $2.5-million contract with the Diamondbacks. Estes, 31, was 15-8 with a 5.84 earned-run average in a career-high 34 starts for the Colorado Rockies last season.

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Major League Baseball still is targeting April for finding an owner for the Washington Nationals, now that the new home of the former Montreal Expos has been determined.

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The Oakland Athletics agreed to a one-year contract with Keiichi Yabu after the right-hander passed a physical.

Yabu, 36, played 11 seasons with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan. He was 6-9 with a 3.02 ERA in 19 games last season and had an 84-106 career record and a 3.57 ERA with the team.

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Right-hander Gil Meche agreed to a one-year, $2.54-million contract with the Seattle Mariners, avoiding arbitration.

Meche was 7-7 with a 5.01 ERA last season, struggling early before rebounding in the second half. He was 6-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 13 second-half starts, throwing at least six innings in 10 of 13 starts.

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Middle reliever Brian Meadows and the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a $1.13-million, one-year contract, avoiding arbitration.... Right-handed reliever Turk Wendell agreed to a minor league contract with the Houston Astros.... Infielders Wilton Guerrero and Abraham Nunez were among eight players who agreed to minor league contracts with the St. Louis Cardinals.... Left-hander Mark Guthrie agreed to a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.... The Boston Red Sox agreed to a $700,000, one-year contract with infielder Ramon Vazquez.