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Chien-Ming Wang opts out of Yankee contract & signs with the Blue Jays

By TanyaAnderson@Tanya__Anderson Jun 7, 2013, 2:04pm EDT

Source: Chien-Ming Wang to sign with #BlueJays. Expected to start Tuesday. Opted out of deal with #Yankees today.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 7, 2013

Chien-Ming Wang stayed with the Yankees through two potential opt-out dates this season, but he has chosen to explore options in other organizations where he might see the majors sooner. The Blue Jays are willing to give Wang that opportunity immediately, having already signed him and slotting him in to start on Tuesday against the White Sox.

In 58.0 innings for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders this season, Wang pitched to a 2.33 ERA with 25 strikeouts in nine starts. On the depth chart, the Yankees saw Wang behind Ivan Nova and Vidal Nuno, so his chance in the big leagues with the Yankees didn't appear to be coming soon. Wang said he wouldn't opt out unless he found a team willing to give him a shot to pitch in the majors, and that is exactly what the Blue Jays did.

When the Yankees signed Wang again this season, it was nice to think that maybe he'd regain the stuff that made him the Yankees' ace in the past and work his way back to the Bronx. Despite pitching very well in Triple-A, the team obviously didn't believe his stuff was ready to rejoin the big league club, and there was really no place to put him in the rotation. The Blue Jays' staff has been devastated by injuries, and they have an obvious place to give him some regular starts until their pitchers are healthy.