MLB Trade Rumors 2016: Former NY Yankee Chien-Ming Wang Signs Minor League Deal with the Royals
Taiwanese pitcher Chien-Ming Wang is best remembered during his time with the New York Yankees, where the veteran won 19 games in 2006 and 2007. However, after suffering different injuries and a major shoulder operation, he eventually became a forgotten player.
After almost a decade, the 35-year-old is making a daring comeback and the Kansas City Royals are willing to gamble on him by giving him a minor league contract. He hasn't played in the majors for amost three years now, the last time he did was with the Blue Jays, though it was short-lived as well.
He played competitive baseball last season in the Atlantic League, a non-affiliated tournament where he pitched for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Wang produced a 6.68 ERA in 11 games for the Triple-A affiliate of Atlanta and another good one, 5.69 ERA in 11 outings for the Triple-A club of Seattle.
His best year as a professional baseball player came in 2006 when he had a 3.63 ERA and went 19-6 for New York. As a matter of fact, he finished as the runner-up in that year's AL Cy Young voting, with Johan Santana declared the unanimous winner.
Aside from playing briefly with the Toronto Blue Jays, he also had a short stint with the Washington Nationals. In 136 total appearances in the major league, he produced 62-34 with a 4.37 ERA.
What the Royals get from a player like Wang is experience. Aside from playing baseball in American soil, he also plated for the Taiwanese national baseball team. But the biggest break of his career came in 2000 when he inked a deal as an amateur free agent with the Yankees, though he made a living in the minors after that.
It took him five years to finally play in his MLB debut, where he actually impressed. The foot injury he suffered three years after his debut in 2005 slowed him down and cost him much of his career.