TIME TO BRING BACK CHIEN-MING WANG?

It was reported by George A. King III of the NY Post, HERE, that "the Yankees were keeping close tabs" on Chien-Ming Wang during the WBC. We wrote about it in February.

At first, I was thrilled. After all, not too long ago he was the Yanks best pitcher. In 2006 & 2007, Wang posted consecutive 19 win seasons. In 2006, he was 2nd in the Cy Young voting, losing out to Johan Santana.  In 2007, he was tied for 2nd in wins behind Josh Beckett's 20. He was also a fan favorite and a likable low key player. After pitching 19 scoreless innings in the WBC for Chinese Taipei it's a no brainer right? Another low risk, high yield sign. Not so fast Bomber fans, it's really not that simple. Why? I’ll show you…

I decided to weigh the pros and cons on Mr. Wang:

Pros:

Wang comes cheap and that’s been the theme this off season. Yankee brass has been rather thrifty in their pursuit of their self-imposed salary cap. (Read THE YANKEES ARE STILL THRIFT SHOPPING in case you live under a rock.)  They could offer him a non-guaranteed, performance laden contract or a minor league deal and hope he bites. He will be 33 by Opening Day, which is young by recent Yankees standards. He has a lot to prove and he is hungry for another shot.  Wang has proven he can pitch in the Bronx and would welcome a chance to redeem himself. This is probably his last chance at a MLB contract and would work hard to earn his way on the team. With his heavy sinker, he will induce many ground balls and double plays. He will provide experience and depth either at the Major or Minor League level. The Red Sox won't get him, although the Focus Taiwan News Channel report that no US or Japanese teams have had contract talks with him, for the same reasons the Yanks would sign him… I believe so will the Red Sox.

Cons:

First off we already have Ivan Nova and David Phelps competing for the 5th spot in the rotation. I know, I know, you can never have enough pitching. What does that do to their morale or mindset that after working so hard and being on the verge get sent down to the farm in favor of Wang? What about the other minor league pitchers who are up and coming? Now they get pushed back a notch as well. Will signing Wang hamper their development and growth? Will they become discouraged and stop working hard? Will the allure of playing for the Yankees wear off? Wang has also been injury prone and has not been too successful in the postseason. In the 2007 ALDS against the Cleveland Indians Wang started 2 games and took the loss in both appearances. He pitched a combined 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up 12 earned runs, for a postseason ERA of 19.06. The Yankees lost the ALDS in four games. In 2012 he admitted to having an extramarital affair while recovering from a shoulder injury in 2009. His biological maternal grandfather, whom he visited often committed suicide in a park in Taiwan by hanging himself with an electrical cord in 2011. Since his foot injury in 2008, while running the bases his career has taken a nose dive. Does he have enough left in the tank to make it through the season and be consistent along the way?

Whatever the Yankees decide, I am sure they'll ask themselves some of these same questions, but we'll have to wait and see...





 --Carlos Gee, BYB Writer





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