The W
ashington Nationals continued their off-season of acquisitions signing former Yankee pitcher Chien-Ming Wang.
Last year Wang was one of the most disappointing players in the league compiling a 9.64 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP in 12 outings including nine starts. Wang pitched last year with shoulder pain and eventually was shutdown for the year.
Prior to that Wang had back-to-back 19 win seasons in 2006 and 2007.
While Wang may be a big question mark heading into 2010 the Nationals are taking the right approach by signing him low and hoping for success. Should Wang fail to impress they can simply release him, should he be productive he could be a candidate for a mid-season trade.
Wang fits into the Nationals plans much the way Shawn Estes does and doesn’t come with the set of rules that would be in place had Livan Hernandez been in place.
Unlike Hernandez, Wang won’t be called upon to be a workhorse. The team will hope to catch lighting in a bottle and if it doesn’t come to pass they can let him go.
