Jun 12, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang (40) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The Nationals beat the Blue Jays 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Chien-Ming Wang will be starting for Chinese Taipei. Wang is currently a free-agent and said he will be waiting before signing a new contract. I’m sure that teams will be watching his start tonight, including his former team. If the Nationals were looking to sign Javier Vazquez, and already signed Chris Young, it’s possible that they may look for another starter to add some depth to the organization.

The other former National is Chris Snelling who was acquired from the Seattle Mariners in the Jose Vidro trade. Snelling played 24 games in the major leagues with Washington in 2007 and put up an impressive .367 on base percentage. He hasn’t played in the Major Leagues since 2008 when he was with the Philadelphia Phillies. His last season in affiliated minor league baseball was in 2009 in AAA with Indianapolis in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Snelling, the 39th top prospect according to Baseball America before the 2003 season, he is still only 31 years old. It is not known whether he will be in the starting lineup for the Aussies. He played last year with the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League.

Former Nat Chien-Ming Wang will look to reestablish his value in the World Baseball Classic and latch on with a major-league team midseason, Bill Ladson reports. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Wang has spent the last three seasons in the Nationals organization, but doesn’t seem to fit into the team’s plans in 2013 and beyond. After signing a 1-year, $2-million (plus $4-million in incentive bonuses) deal in February of 2010, Wang re-upped with Washington for two more years in December of that year on a 1-year deal worth $1-million (plus $4-million in incentive bonuses) with an option.

In 2011, despite appearing in just 11 games, Wang posted a 4-3 record with a 4.04 ERA in 62.1 innings across 11 games. After returning from injury in 2012, Wang struggled to put up similar numbers, posting a 2-3 record with a 6.86 ERA 32.1 innings across 10 games. Wang temporarily displaced Ross Detwiler as the fifth starter in May, but ultimately lost the job after Detwiler performed well in his absence (due to injury).

Pending a strong WBC performance, Wang could latch on with a contender in desperate need of pitching (Pittsburgh, Minnesota?), but a minor-league deal seems more likely.

September 30, 2012; St. Louis, MO. USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang (40) throws to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the third inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Wang started the season injured, but reclaimed his role as the team’s fifth starter from Ross Detwiler when he became healthy. He made his season debut in relief on May 25th, and his first start on May 30th. Wang then pitched regularly until June 19th, when he allowed five earned runs over 3.1 IP and was once again supplanted by Detwiler in the rotation. During his tenure as a starter, Wang averaged about 4.1 IP per start, going 1-3 with a 6.62 ERA. He made two more relief appearances until he suffered a hip injury at the end of June, which kept him to only minor league rehab appearances until he returned as a reliever on September 19th. He would make one more start and one more relief appearance before his season ended.

Season Highlight: His outing on September 19th, when he pitched 2.1 shutout innings in relief, the only time he did not allow a run in an appearance this season. Seriously, it was not a good year.

Next Year: After this year, Wang is a free agent, and given his performance this year, it is difficult to see the team resigning him.