Catcher Paul Lo Duca agreed to a $5 million, one-year deal with the Washington Nationals because he felt wanted -- and because there will be plenty of chances to face his old club, the New York Mets. "I'm excited to be part of a team that's young and has a chance to win this division," Lo Duca said Tuesday after passing a physical to make the deal official. "The NL East is wide open." Asked what his reasons were for choosing the Nationals, Lo Duca said they "wanted me more," and that he wanted to stay in the National League. Then he paused before adding with a smile, "Getting to play the Mets 18 times." Another former member of the Mets was introduced by the Nationals at the team's sales and marketing center: outfielder Lastings Milledge, who came over in the trade that sent catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church to New York. Lo Duca, a free agent who played for New York the past two seasons, gives the Nationals a veteran to replace Schneider behind the plate.