The Nationals have signed 36-year old lefty starting pitcher Shawn Estes to a minor league contract. He will make $600,000 bucks if he makes the Nationals with another $400,000 that he can earn in incentives. Estes started 13 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 3-4 with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Those are pretty good numbers when you consider that he was pitching for Albuquerque in the PCL which is a hitters’ league. He last pitched in the majors in 2008 with the Padres. He has pitched in 283 games (281 starts) in his major league career and he is 101-93 with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. His main problem in the majors has been his control as he has walked 858 batters in 1,678 1/3 career innnings in the majors. I still like this signing for the Nationals as they have little to use by giving Estes a chance.