Confident Nomar on move

Nomar Garciaparra is moving to first base with the Los Angeles Dodgers, confident it will be a smooth transition.

And at age 32, he thinks he has several good years left no matter what position he plays.

In Boston, Garciaparra was one of baseball's best shortstops and a five-time All-Star who won two batting titles. The Dodgers only hope he approaches that level.

''One-year deals, changing positions, I'm not worried about that," Garciaparra said at a Dodger Stadium news conference yesterday -- one day after agreeing to a $6 million, one-year contract that allows him to earn an additional $4 million in performance bonuses.

Garciaparra also considered the Yankees, Indians, and Astros. ''If I had something to prove, I wouldn't have had so many teams talking to me," he said.

Garciaparra was strictly a shortstop after his sophomore year in high school -- at nearby St. John Bosco High in suburban Bellflower -- until last season, when he played third base for the Cubs in August and September.

''As of today, he's a first baseman," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said.

Garciaparra said he looks forward to the challenge of playing first. ''I'll probably be working on it prior to spring training," he said. ''Breaking in a new glove, that will be a challenge. You embrace [challenges], you welcome them."

Despite having played in only 21 big league games in 2001, 81 in 2004, and 62 last year, Garciaparra maintained he's not injury-prone. And can he play 150 games next season? ''Yeah, absolutely," he replied.

Garciaparra hit .283 with nine homers and 30 RBIs for the Cubs last season, when he earned $8.25 million. He tore his left groin running out of the batter's box in St. Louis April 20 and didn't return until Aug. 5.

Garciaparra has a .320 lifetime batting average, fifth-highest among active major leaguers. He has played in 135 or more games in six seasons, hit more than 20 homers six times, and driven in 100 or more runs four times.

Washburn to Seattle

Jarrod Washburn and the Mariners agreed to a four-year contract, giving Seattle the proven starter it has been looking for this offseason. The lefthander went 8-8 with a 3.20 ERA in 29 starts for the Angels last season. He is 75-57 with a 3.93 ERA during his eight-year major league career, all with the Angels . . . Catcher A.J. Pierzynski and the White Sox agreed to a $15 million, three-year contract and avoided arbitration. Pierzynski, who was eligible for free agency in 2006, will earn $4 million next season and $5.5 million each in 2007 and 2008 . . . The Indians turned to their past for help with their bullpen, agreeing to minor league contracts with righthanded relievers Danny Graves and Steve Karsay . . . Josh Paul, best known for rolling the ball back to the mound while the eventual winning run reached base for the White Sox in Game 2 in the AL Championship Series, was traded by the Angels to Tampa Bay for minor league infielder Travis Schlichting . . . The Phillies completed last week's trade of pitcher Vicente Padilla by acquiring righthander Ricardo Rodriguez from the Rangers . . . Ryan Freel, 29, avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $3 million, two-year deal with the Reds that would increase if he plays regularly . . . The Athletics agreed to a $2.4 million, one-year contract with lefthander Joe Kennedy, also avoiding arbitration . . . The Royals traded outfielder Matt Diaz, who hit .281 in 89 at-bats last season, to the Braves for minor league reliever Ricardo F. Rodriguez . . . Lefthander Kazuhisa Ishii, who went 39-34 with a 4.44 ERA in four major league seasons, was released by the Mets.

Ueberroth: Keep Cuba

US Olympic Committee chairman Peter Ueberroth called on the Bush administration to reverse its decision to keep Cuba out of next year's World Baseball Classic. Ueberroth, a former baseball commissioner and head of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, said last week's decision by the Treasury Department to deny Cuba a permit to play in the 16-team event will damage American efforts to host the Olympics in the future. Olympic host countries must guarantee all nations can participate . . . In a signal he might not have the votes needed to gain approval, Mayor Anthony A. Williams asked the District of Columbia Council to delay consideration of a lease agreement for his proposed Nationals baseball stadium on the Anacostia River waterfront . . . Barry Halper, owner of one of the most extensive collections of baseball memorabilia and a limited partner in the New York Yankees, has died at 66 after a long battle with diabetes.