Wang Headed to DC
NEW YORK (AP) — Pitcher Chien-Ming Wang and the Washington Nationals have reached an agreement on a $2 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The deal includes the chance to earn $3 million in performance bonuses, the person said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement was not yet final. Washington planned to announce the deal during a news conference Friday at spring training, the person said.
This is good news. I’m glad he’s found a home before spring training. I would love to see him and his sinker back in the Bronx, but our rotation is WAY TOO AWESOME to have this guy hang around for a couple million. Wang had some great years in pinstripes. Back to back seasons with 19 wins is pretty damn good. The dude, however, couldn’t stay healthy the last couple years if his life depended on it. Even in his first season with the Yankees, the guy had shoulder problems. He was destined to be a routine DL man. I truly can’t say anything bad about Wanger. He never stirred up any controversy or was involved in any distractions off the field. Come to think of it, I never heard the guy talk. I never even hear him speak Chinese! Was he ever interviewed? Wouldn’t that be hilarious? Suzyn Waldman interviewing Wang? Probably would be the only bearable Waldman inteview ever. From all of us hear at 5BS, good luck Wanger and thanks for the memories.
5 BOROUGH SPORTS 
February 17, 2010 at 9:13 am
wang is god aweful, he hasnt done anything but screw up all the time. he has done absolutely nothing going from starter to reliever, then back to the DL. He belongs on the crap team with the crap players
February 17, 2010 at 10:18 am
he hasn’t done much the last two seasons. him out of the rotation really killed us in ’08. Last season, it seemed like his shoulder was never 100%. The Yanks can’t afford to have an injury prone guy for $2 million plus.
February 17, 2010 at 10:33 am
I do wish the guy well, he was the ace of the staff with 19 wins in both the ’06 and ’07 seasons and he was on his way in ’08 until he tried to round third in Houston. He is overlooked because the Yankees were knocked out of the playoffs in those seasons but 19 wins in the major leagues and especially the American League east (which had the Red Sox at their World Champion best in ’07) is a lot of wins and to do it in back to back seasons when everyone knows what you’re throwing, is extraordinary. To compare – AJ Burnett had 13 wins last year and CC had 19.
As to his durability, Wang started 33 (appeared in 34) games in ’06 and 30 in ’07 and had 15 starts by June of ’08 with an 8-2 record before he went down in Houston. AJ Burnett started 33 last year and CC started 34 hopefully they’ll do it again this year, but no one questioned Wang’s durability during that stretch. He wasn’t injury prone – he had a serious injury that affected his delivery, his health and then his career. As with Randy Johnson, who would periodically break down and take time off to recover, Wang just needs some time to get straightened out. If Wang is healthy he’s going to have a terrific year and I hope he does.
Oh and by the way he is one of only three Staten Island Yankees to have their number retired (41). I was glad to see he was on the roster last year and got the ring – he’s a winner in every sense of the word.