Wang, the former Yankee workhorse who is coming off shoulder surgery and a lost season, appears to be close to deciding where he will sign. And while there are some conflicting reports floating around, Jon Heyman says the following:
Chien-Ming Wang Nearing Decision, May Be Headed To Nationals
what i'm hearing on chien-ming wang is that he's going to decide between #nats and 1 other team within 10 days.
#dodgers have pulled out of wang derby. if it was indeed 2-team race, he's headed for #nats. @PeteAbe said nats this morn.
If you can pardon the Twitter-speak, the take-home message is that, if Wang was deciding between Washington and LA, he seems to be headed to the former. The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham reported that Wang already decided on the Nationals this morning.
Wang is an unquestionable risk, and if the Dodgers pulled out after watching him throw, that implies that he wasn't very impressive. However, he's probably looking at a small incentive-based contract, and with that in mind, he could be a good risk for a team whose current 1-2 is John Lannan and Jason Marquis. When he's going well, Wang is an extreme groundball pitcher who eats up innings, and while he's never been able to strike anyone out, keeping the ball down helps him avoid the home run. Avoiding the home run is pretty critical. Wang's only allowed 41 dingers over 670.2 Major League innings for a rate of just 0.55 per 9, roughly half the AL average.
If Wang never recovers, he’ll be a lost cause, but at a small commitment, he’s a low-risk acquisition with a fair amount of upside. You can follow the story at Nationals blog Federal Baseball.
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