“It was an easy decision for me (to sign back with the Yankees) because I never wanted to leave,” Wang said. “… It’s like back in the day. This was my first team, this is where I started. I feel great.”
Wang said there were “four or five” teams interested in him, all looking into minor league deals.....
Although he knows he’s heading to Triple-A to start the season, Wang is hopeful that he’ll be in the majors before the end of the season.
“I’ll try everything I can,” he said. “Try to keep pitching and let them see.”
The New York Yankees have brought back a familiar face, signing Taiwanese pitcher Chien-Ming Wang to a minor league contract.Since he hasn't had many big league highlights since injuring himself in Houston that day, here's some video from this year's WBC:
The Yankees said on Saturday that Wang would report right away to the minor league complex.
Wang, who turns 33 this month, was originally signed by the Yankees in 2000. He went 55-26 with them during five seasons and was a 19-game winner in consecutive years.
The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, team sources confirmed to The Post's Chico Harlan. The team plans to announce the signing at a news conference Friday at their spring training headquarters in Viera, Fla.Wow, only $2 million base? I'm pretty surprised the Yankees didn't match that. Could end up being a nice signing for the Nats. Good luck in Washington, Wanger.
Terms were not immediately available, but various media reports have said Wang will receive a guaranteed $2 million, with performance incentives totalling another $3 million.
If the Dodgers or Mets intend to sign free-agent right-hander Chien-Ming Wang, they will need to accelerate their pursuits.This should make the Yankees at least think twice before letting him go. Hopefully they're still open to matching any reasonable offers he receives. If Wang does turn out to regain his old form he would be a valuable asset to any pitching staff. Imagine a staff of CC, AJ, Pettitte, Vazquez and a healthy Wang?
Wang, 30, has received offers from two other, unidentified clubs, according to a major-league source. He likely will make a decision within 7 to 10 days, the source said.
Various teams are at different points in the process with Wang. The Dodgers are lagging, the source said, and the Mets are further behind.
Wang, recovering from arthroscopic shoulder surgery to repair a tear in his shoulder capsule last July 29, is eager to reunite with former Yankees manager Joe Torre in Los Angeles, according to a second source.
The Mets have yet to add a starting pitcher this offseason; Wang, who is likely to open the season on the disabled list, could represent insurance for their questionable rotation.
The Orioles, searching for another starter, have discussed Wang; they also pursued free-agent left-hander Erik Bedard, who is coming off surgery to repair a torn labrum, before he signed with the Mariners.
Wang’s past success in the AL East also could make him attractive to the Rays and Blue Jays; the Jays, too, pursued Bedard. The Nationals continue to explore every available remaining free-agent starter, and are considering Wang, a source said.
Several clubs have sent their trainers and/or pitching coaches to watch Wang, who is throwing three times a week. Some teams already have given Wang physicals; once he agrees to a deal, that part of the process will be complete.
Chien-Ming Wang, coming off shoulder surgery on July 29, is expected to throw off a mound in the next week or two, according to one of his agents, Alan Nero.That risk is probably the reason why Nero is saying he'll wait until May. Wang is going to have to prove he's 100% healthy before teams are going to be ready to hand him a big league deal.
“Everything is going extraordinarily well,” Nero said.
Six teams are evaluating Wang’s medical records, Nero said. Wang, who turns 30 on March 31, is training at Fischer Sports in Phoenix.
“We’re anticipating a major-league offer with a substantial guarantee and substantial upside,” Nero said.
“We’re so confident with what is going to happen, if we don’t do it until May, we’re OK. Whoever shows the initiative to take a little bit of risk is going to win.”
The Mets are scouring the pitching market and have been in touch with Ben Sheets since they watched him at his throwing session in Louisiana on Tuesday. Another possible starting option is Chien-Ming Wang, who has been throwing for nearly seven weeks and could be pitching in the majors by May 1.Nero also spoke about the progress Wang has made:
The Mets are among 15 teams with interest in Wang, according to Alan Nero, who along with Alan Chang represents the former Yankee.
I don't know about you, but I still think the Yanks will get involved if they see Wang's healthy."He's been under the very watchful eye of Dr. (James) Andrews," Nero added, referring to the noted orthopedist. "Once a month, he spends a week with Andrews. He's been throwing for almost seven weeks and the response has been awesome."
Wang will train at Fischer Sports, a conditioning center in Phoenix, until he gets a contract, Nero said. "We're so confident and optimistic about his progress that we're not in a hurry to enter into an agreement just to have it," Nero said.
Wang has told friends he is prepared to move on from the Yankees. A number of teams have expressed an interest.Maybe the Yankees aren't as interested as has been reported. If he's healthy I still believe they should resign him.
Positive report today from Dr. Andrews on former Yankees RHP Wang. Could throw off mound in 6-8 wks. Agents expect heightened interest.We've been hearing that he could return in May so I'll assume that remains the same. I still believe the Yankees should make an offer to him if he proves he's 100% healthy.
There is a chance though, however small, that Wang could end up back in New York. Grace, a friend of the blog’s in Taiwan who often checks in with updates on Wang, recently emailed to say that Wang said publicly in Taiwan that there were no hard feelings on his side about being non-tendered.With the Yankees already stating they will try to match any offer he gets I think the chance of a return might be even greater than people think. When do the Yankees publicly say things like that unless they mean it?
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According to Grace, Wang told the media in Taiwan that he started long-tossing on Dec. 1 and will return to America this week before seeing Dr. James Andrews on Jan. 4. He hopes to be able to get into rehab games in April or May, meaning he likely wouldn’t be major-league ready until near June (at least).
Fifteen teams have inquired about the rehabbing righty, according to agent Alan Nero, and while Nero wouldn’t confirm which teams are involved (except the Yankees, who would like to match any final offer) you can bet the Red Sox are one of them. The plan, according to Nero, is for Wang to visit Dr. James Andrews Jan. 4 and get an updated timeframe on his comeback. The big righthander has had foot, hip, and shoulder issues the past year-plus, but appears to be in good shape. Nero said Wang has been long-tossing since Dec. 1 with no issues, and is hoping to return to the mound in early May.I have to assume the Yankees are Wang's first choice, so if they do match any offer he may remain in Pinstripes after all.
Maybe there's still a chance he stays, but I doubt it."There's no doubt that we had to make a tough decision," general manager Brian Cashman said in a statement. "We are still hopeful that our relationship can continue, but those decisions are yet to be made."
Whether that relationship does continue comes down to whether the Yankees and Wang can agree on a contract palatable to both sides. On Friday, Wang's agent, Alan Nero, told The Post that the Yankees "would like to keep him and offer him under [what he would earn in arbitration]."
Yesterday Nero said of the non-tendering, "We're disappointed, but we understand the business side of this. We will entertain all offers before we make any decisions, including any offers that may come from the Yankees."
The Yankees’ top priority this offseason remains improving their starting rotation. On Saturday, however, they’ll bid farewell to the pitcher who has won the most games since Brian Cashman became a bona fide general manager. Chien-Ming Wang, still rehabilitating after right shoulder surgery, will not be tendered a contract by the Yankees Saturday. He might very well top the list of non-tenders throughout the industry.The Yankees do not believe that Wang will be able to make an impact next season even though Wang's agent, Alan Nero, says the Wanger could be ready by opening day and will likely be ready by the beginning of May. As you know, Wang is coming off season-ending shoulder surgery, his second major shoulder surgery of his career.
Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, a non-tender candidate, told Taiwanese reporters Thursday that his first choice was to remain with New York. But if the Yankees cut him loose, Wang said he would not be opposed to going to the Dodgers.If the Yankees don't decide to bring him back, this kind of move wouldn't surprise me at all. Either way, I still think the Yanks should give him a contract.
“Not bad,” Wang said of the scenario presented by reporters that would have him going to Los Angeles. The two-time 19-game winner indicated that he would feel comfortable playing for a manager in Joe Torre who knows him well. Wang also went to middle school with Dodgers reliever Hong-Chih Kuo, and the two remain friends.
But I am getting a strong vibe from Yankee officials that the intention is to non-tender Wang and, perhaps, not even offer him a small base with incentives to return.This would be an odd way for the Yankees to handle this. Unless he can't pitch anymore physically I see no harm in offering him a short-term incentive based deal. And with the question marks at the end of their rotation, it's probably the wiser move.
First, the Yankees will not make a decision based on Dr. Andrews' evaluation. They will wait to see what their own team physicians say.
And the Yanks will be very cautious with Wang. The success rate of pitchers returning at a high level after shoulder surgery is far lower than from elbow surgery. Plus, the Yankees always thought Wang was working on a narrow margin of error: He was essentially a one-pitch pitcher who got away with not missing any bats by having a 95 mph sinker that hitters routinely smashed into the grounder. They saw what he looked like when he lost some of that velocity this year, and it was not good. They cannot be positive he will regain all of his velocity. And the Yanks wonder if Wang has the ability to further refine his slider and changeup to become more of a complete pitcher.
If they don’t think Wang could enhance his repertoire than the Yanks may be motivated to pass on Wang at any price.
