A familiar name has found a new home, as the Royals announced this afternoon that they have signed veteran right-hander Chien-Ming Wang to a minor league contract. For some, this might come as news that he’s still pitching.
Best known for his run with the Yankees from 2005-2009, Wang turns 36 years old in March and hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2013 as a member of the Blue Jays. The sinkerballer had a brief stint in the independent Atlantic League last season and also posted a rough 5.88 ERA in 130 innings at the Triple-A level between the Braves and the Mariners.
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, Wang would receive a base salary of $1 million if he’s on the major league roster and could earn more with some performance-based incentives. At this point, it would be a surprise if Wang surfaces in the majors again, but he’ll provide some rotation depth in Triple-A at the very least.