"The Nationals took a significant step toward setting their 2012 starting rotation Thursday afternoon, finalizing a one-year contract with right-hander Chien-Ming Wang, a team official said. The deal, pending a physical, is worth $4 million plus performance bonuses.

For Wang, 31, the contract represents another milestone in his recovery from the torn shoulder capsule and major surgery that derailed his career with the New York Yankees in 2009. The Nationals signed Wang to one-year contracts in 2010 and 2011, supporting him as he rehabbed. They paid him $2 million in 2010, and he did not throw a pitch. "