Yunesky

Maya

Maya surrendered three hits, two earned runs and two walks in four Grapefruit League innings this spring. He’ll operate as organizational rotation depth this season.

Maya should be back to normal in the next day or two. The 30-year-old right-hander posted a 5.23 ERA over 32 2/3 innings with the Nationals last season and will likely open 2012 in the minors.

Maya’s Puerto Rican team, Criollos de Caguas, will likely refrain from pitching him again until he’s back to 100 percent. The 30-year-old Cuban right-hander posted a disappointing 5.23 ERA in 32 2/3 major league innings this season, but the Nationals still think he has promise.

The move was made to open a spot for Jeff Kobernus on the active roster. The once highly-hyped Cuban defector, the 31-year-old Maya owns a career 5.80 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over 59 major league innings. With his salary, he’s unlikely to attract much interest from other teams.

Maya was designated for assignment by the Nats last Friday and passed through waivers unclaimed. The 31-year-old has a 5.80 ERA in 59 career MLB innings.

Maya has an ugly 5.07 ERA and 34/17 K/BB ratio in 49 2/3 innings over eight starts this season in Triple-A, but the Nationals need a fresh arm for their bullpen. This will be his first stint in the majors since 2011.

Maya is now eligible to sign with any major league team and figures to draw interest from baseball’s top spenders. The 28-year-old right-hander was 48-29 record with a 2.51 ERA over six seasons in Cuba and pitched in the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009. He boasts a fastball in the 92-94 mph range with a complete arsenal of secondary pitches. He doesn’t possess the upside of the younger Aroldis Chapman, but he might be polished enough to contribute in the major leagues in short-order. The Red Sox, Mets and White Sox were also mentioned as potential landing spots over the winter.

Maya was released by the Nationals in November after posting a 5.80 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 59 total major league innings. The 32-year-old from Cuba signed a four-year, $8 million contract in the middle of the 2010 season. He obviously hasn’t met the hype.

The 32-year-old Cuban defector has failed to live up to his lofty expectations since coming stateside, registering a 1-5 record, 5.80 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 27/21 K/BB ratio over 59 innings in the majors. He has at least been a serviceable starter at Triple-A Syracuse the past two seasons though, so there should be teams in need of rotation depth that are willing to give him a shot.

Best known for being a flop with the Nationals, Maya spent last year pitching for the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization where he posted an ugly 8.17 ERA and 62/31 K/BB ratio over 68 1/3 innings. The 34-year-old is likely to serve as organizational depth.