The AP is reporting that the Nats inked Jerome Williams and Brandon Claussen today for their rotation. Along with Tim Redding and John Patterson, they’ll give the Nationals some semblance of a rotation.
Williams, 25, lost the Cubs’ fourth starter job to Sean Marshall with a lousy spring in 2005. He got a couple of starts in April but was sent to Triple A by month’s end. The A’s claimed him off waivers in September but didn’t use him. The righty has strong groundball tendencies and a 4.03 career ERA.
Claussen, a southpaw, turns 28 in May. The Yanks traded him to the Reds for Aaron Boone back in ’03. Claussen had a solid 2005, making 29 starts with a 4.21 ERA. He had arthroscopic shoulder surgery in August of ’06 and won’t be ready for the start of the ’07 season.
