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Yankees sign Chien-Ming Wang

The former ace is back for a comeback attempt with the pitching staff that he once anchored.

Koji Watanabe

The Yankees have agreed to terms with Chien-Ming Wang on what would most likely be a minor league deal. (Update: It is indeed a minor league deal.) He will likely start the season in Triple-A and provide rotation depth should the Yankees need someone to fill in. The organization already has Adam Warren and Brett Marshall, along with David Phelps, but a veteran option is something the Yankees are probably more comfortable having. It's unlikely that Wang will ever be needed at this point, but over a 162-game season, anything can happen.

The ex-ace of the Yankees staff has suffered several devastating injuries since 2008. After spraining his foot while running the bases in Houston during the '08 season, he then required shoulder surgery in '09 to repair a capsule tear, and when he was on the verge of putting it all behind him, he sustained a hamstring injury just before the 2012 season.

Sadly, Wang has not returned to his pre-injury level, but it's always possible he can approach it. Since leaving the Yankees, Wang hasn't pitched over 100 innings in the last three seasons, so while his statistics have been poor, he can improve. Last year he had a 6.68 ERA with a 5.85 FIP in 32.1 innings pitched, so he was awful, but there was a time that he was great. It's worth a shot.

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