Report: Chien-Ming Wang Agrees to Deal with New York Yankees for 2013
March 22, 2013 · Doug Rush · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
The Yankees have officially brought back a former ace pitcher.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and WFAN broke the news on Friday night that the Bombers will sign Chien-Ming Wang to a deal.
#yankees agree to terms w/ wang
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) March 23, 2013
The terms of the deal haven’t been confirmed yet, but it’ll likely be a minor-league deal that the Yankees will sign Wang to.
The 32-year-old Wang caught the attention of the Bombers this past month pitching in the World Baseball Classic for the Chinese Taipei team, tossing 12 scoreless innings for them.
After impressing Yankees GM Brian Cashman at the WBC, the Yankees brought Wang down to their complex in Tampa for a workout session and to see him pitch firsthand for them.
The Yankees apparently liked what they saw to give Wang a deal for 2013 and the chance to make the team.
Wang went 55-26 with the Yankees from 2005-2009 and pitched well before running into injuries in 2008 and 2009.
He suffered a season-ending foot injury in 2008 running the bases for the Yankees in an interleague game against the Houston Astros.
He suffered a shoulder injury in July of 2009, which required season-ending surgery and forced him to miss all of 2010.
Since then, Wang has pitched for the Washington Nationals in starting and relief roles in 2011 and 2012.
Wang will likely take the road Andy Pettitte did in 2012 as far as coming back to the majors goes, starting out in the minor leagues and working his way back to the majors.
For the 32-year-old pitcher, it’s fitting that he gets a second chance to put on the pinstripes again to try to resume his career with the team that he came up with as a professional.
If he’s anywhere near the form he had back in 2005-2008, the Yankees could potentially have a steal in adding depth to their rotation.
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