Nationals sign MacDougal

I liked Mike MacDougal when he popped up with KC and slammed the door on a few games. He was an ACC-guy getting a legit shot, and while deep down it was obvious he only had fringe tools to compliment his vicious heat, he basically held down the Royals' closer job for three seasons, while healthy at least . After he washed out of KC with injuries, he showed up on the radar with the White Sox and was effective for about a month. Since then, he has walked 52 batters in his last 63+ innings while striking out 54. These numbers look great next to Daniel Cabrera's, but they still have no business on a major league roster.

In the end, he doesn't seem to have been able to entirely shake the injuries. His violent motion will only make him more prone with age. This is a good risk for a contending team who may need veteran help down the stretch, but the Nats aren't contending, and already have a busload of guys that can't throw strikes. At 32, he is a righty fireballer with little fire left, and when he does light it up, it hasn't been pretty. Honestly, I'd be shocked if he makes the big club, but Syracuse seems to be loaded with his type (Dave Williams, Ryan Wagner, Gary Glover). This is a step backwards from a team that looked like they were taking a step forward by overhauling the rotation.