The Nationals have signed 29-year old righty starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang to a 1-year deal. Wang will likely miss the first month or two of the 2010 season as he continues to rehab from a shoulder injury. Wang pitched in 12 games (9 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 1-6 with a 9.64 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP. He has now pitched in 109 games (104 starts) in his major league career and he is 55-26 with a 4.16 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. I love this move for the Nationals as Wang is a darn good starting pitcher when he is healthy.

The Nationals have signed 28-year old righty swinging Willy Taveras to a minor league deal. The Nationals are only on the hook for $400,000 bucks if Taveras makes the team and the A’s are responsible for the other $3.6 million bucks that he will make in 2010. Taveras played in 102 games for the Reds last season and he was 97 for 404 (.240 avg, .559 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 1 homer, 15 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. Taveras has now played in 643 games in his major league career and he is 655 for 2,377 (.276 avg, .649 OPS) with 351 runs scored, 8 homers, 124 RBIs and 194 stolen bases. Taveras led the majors in steals in 2008 with the Rockies (68). The Nationals likely will value Taveras’ speed and defense off the bench. I love this signing for them as they continue to improve the roster.

The Nationals have signed 36-year old lefty reliever Mike Venafro to a minor league deal. He did not pitch last season last appearing in the majors in 2006 with the Rockies. Venafro has pitched in 307 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 15-10 with 5 saves, a 4.09 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. It never hurts to add a lefty like Venafro to compete for a bullpen spot in spring training.

34-year old lefty swinging Adam Kennedy will be the new starting 2B for the Nationals in 2010. He played in 129 games for the Nationals last season and he was 153 for 529 (.289 avg, .758 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 11 homers, 63 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Kennedy is a pesky hitter who should help make the Nationals a better offensive team in 2010. He made 7 errors in 50 games at 2B for the A’s last season while showing poor range. He has the reputation of being better than he showed defensively last season so he should be o.k. for 2010.

26-year old righty swinging Alberto Gonzalez will likely be the top utility infielder for the Nationals in 2010. He played in 105 games for the Nationals last season and he was 77 for 291 (.265 avg, .650 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 1 homer and 33 RBIs. Gonzalez played really well defensively at 2B last season as he only made 1 error in 55 games there while showing great range.

31-year old righty swinging Eric Bruntlett will battle for a reserve job for the Nationals this spring. He played in 72 games for the Phillies last season and he was 18 for 105 (.171 avg, .462 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 7 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Bruntlett made 2 errors in 13 games for the Phillies last season while showing outstanding range. The thing that Bruntlett brings to the table for the Nationals is that he can play pretty much everywhere except pitcher and catcher.

30-year old lefty swinging Pete Orr will also battle for a backup job this spring for the Nationals. Orr played in 27 games for the Nationals last season and he was 19 for 75 (.253 avg, .619 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer, 10 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He played in 18 games at 2B for the Nationals last season and he made 2 errors while showing outstanding range. He is a solid pinch hitter which could give him an edge in making the Opening Day roster.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2010: C

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.