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It was reported last week that the Washington Nationals reached an agreement with right-hander Chris Young on a minor league contract, and the team officially announced the deal yesterday. Young's contract will pay him a base salary of $2 million if he makes the major league club, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.
Young can opt out of the agreement on March 24 and has the opportunity to earn up to $3.8 million in incentives if he starts 30 games and logs at least 180 innings in 2013.
Crasnick believes even breaking camp with the Nationals could be a tall task for Young, much less making 30 starts. Washington already sports a projected rotation of Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Dan Haren and Ross Detwiler.
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Young could technically be a candidate for a long man role, but the 33-year-old hasn't pitched out of the bullpen in the majors. The right-hander has had a hard time staying healthy, as he hasn't started 30 games since 2007. He's totaled only 42 starts over the past four seasons.
Still, Young was able to start 20 games for the Mets last year, posting an ERA of 4.15 with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.22. Over nine seasons in the majors, the veteran owns a career ERA of 3.79.
