The Nationals finalized a one-year, $4 million contract with right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang on Thursday. That adds one more piece to the starting rotation puzzle general manager Mike Rizzo is putting together. He spoke with the media about the transaction on Friday afternoon.
Wang is in line behind Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann. John Lannan and Ross Detwiler are two holdovers. Brad Peacock and Tom Milone are the young guns who made an impression during their September call-ups from Triple-A. But remember, Strasburg is on an innings limit of around 160 thanks to his continued recovery from Tommy John surgery in Sept., 2010. So don’t think Rizzo is done just yet. Plus, injury and ineffectiveness are likely to claim somebody else among those named.
“I really like the way the rotation is set right now. I think that we have great talent there,” Rizzo said. “We have upper-rotation guys, we have some middle-rotation guys and we have some back-of-the-rotation guys. We have great depth in our minor-league system. We’ve got guys that are knocking on the door and probably should be pitching in the big leagues this coming season and may not be. I think that’s a tribute as far as where we’re at as an organization.”
Who will that veteran pitcher be? Will he arrive via a trade or through free agency? Rizzo wasn’t biting on that one. He isn’t necessarily comfortable using his depth in the rotation to swing a trade for another need – in center field or a leadoff batter specifically. Pitching depth often becomes a pitching need during the long grind of a 162-game season. But Rizzo has in mind the kind of pitcher he’d like to acquire.
“The type of pitcher we’re looking for is a good leader-type of guy that throws a lot of innings that has shown he can win in the big leagues and really lead our staff,” Rizzo said. “If not by having the best stuff on the staff, but by showing how to be a professional and how to be a winner and how to pitch 200 innings in a season many, many times in your career.”
Mark Buehrle, anyone? The Chicago White Sox veteran is 33 next year and fits that description perfectly. He’s a good athlete who fields his position well. He doesn’t walk people. He controls the running game. He’s a virtual lock for 200 innings with 11 consecutive years in that category. But he doesn’t have a dominating fastball. No idea if Buehrle is interested in making that kind of move. He’s a career-long White Sox player, after all. My guess is he stays in Chicago. But the Nats could certainly make a run at him.
Pending a physical, Wang will return for his third year with the organization, which was willing to pay him $3 million total on a pair of prior one-year deals to essentially rehabilitate a serious right shoulder injury (torn capsule) on the team’s dime. The Nats began to see some reward for their cash when Wang finally made it back to the big leagues on July 29. He wasn’t exactly what we remembered with the New York Yankees from 2006 through early 2009. Wang’s vicious sinker doesn’t have that same mid-90s velocity anymore after surgery to repair a torn capsule in that right shoulder. But even in the low 90s it is still an effective pitch.
Wang had a 4.04 ERA in 11 starts. At 31, it’s unrealistic to expect him to find some kind of wicked offspeed pitch to go with his sinker. That likely limits his ceiling – along with his age and injury history. Still, his walks-hits/innings pitched ratio was 1.28 – basically what he produced with the Yankees – and he provides needed depth to the back end of Washington’s starting rotation. Wang came on at the end of the season, especially, with 16 strikeouts in his last four starts and no walks.
Wang’s agent, Alan Nero, wanted a one-year deal without a team option. The Nats initially pushed for a team option for 2013. Eventually, they decided they could live with a one-year deal as long as Wang gave them a verbal right-of-first-refusal. Rizzo says he has a good relationship with Nero so he was okay with that, too – even if it doesn’t guarantee the club anything. Wang won’t have any pitch counts or innings limits in 2012, according to Rizzo. Another offseason of rehabilitation should help with that, too.
“I am appreciative of the opportunity and all the support the Nationals gave me to make the comeback,” Wang said in a statement. “I am excited about next season, playing together with my teammates, and look forward to doing my best to help the Nationals to the playoffs.”
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