The New York Yankees and Chien-Ming Wang reached an accord landing the veteran right-hander back in pinstripes. The 33-year-old could possibly be back in MLB as the Yankees signed him to a one year deal following an impressive performance in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Though the Yankees' starting rotation looks set, Wang could find himself out of the minors in no time.
Like many teams around the majors, the Yankees were impressed with Wang's stuff in the WBC. As the ace for Chinese Taipei, Wang posted a 1-0 record with a 0.92 ERA, pitching 12 innings allowing 10 hits, one walk and striking out three batters. Wang's numbers and his stuff were there during the tournament and now the Yankees want to see if he can perform at this level in the majors.
Entering 2013, the Yankees lineup and postseason chances are looking bleak following injuries to their offense. With Curtis Granderson out for about two months of the season, Mark Teixeira also out for about the same amount of time and Alex Rodriguez in the shelf until maybe the All-Star break, the Yankees will need their pitching to step up big time. C.C. Sabathia will lead the pack as Andy Pettitte, Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes and David Phelps are expected to fill out the remainder of the starting rotation.
If any of these guys get injured and Wang performs well in the minors, the Yankees will not hesitate to call up the seven-year veteran. In the last two seasons, wang pitched for the Washington Nationals. Following obvious struggles, he was let go and remained unemployed during the 2013 WBC.
Wang's best seasons were 2006 and 2007 where he racked up 19 victories in each season. In 2006, he finished second in the Cy Young Award race losing out to then Minnesota Twins' product, Johan Santana. With the Nationals, Wang tallied a 6-6 record with a 4.94 ERA in 16 starts.
He's familiar with the Yankees and understands that every season, the goal is a championship. The Yankees will rely on a veteran, aged and injury prone lineup in the upcoming season. If Wang is given a chance, he could provide the Yanks with an extra arm that's solid and experienced.