Washington Nationals Sign Brad Lidge

Brad Lidge, one of the heroes of the Phillies 2008 World Series win, has signed a one year, one million deal with the Washington Nationals. He'll likely compete for a set up job there. Earlier in the offseason it seemed as though the Phillies were toying with the idea of bringing Lidge back on a deal probably similar to this, but that interest appeared to cool over the past month or so.

Lidge will always be a hero in Philly for his performance in that 2008 season, something that even his historically horrendous 2009 couldn't change. He hasn't been terribly healthy since then and has lost velocity on his fastball, but when he has pitched over the last year he's still been pretty effective. The 35 year old is obviously a significant injury risk and it would be a surprise to see him pitch a full season (he didn't even manage 20 innings last year), but if he's healthy at the right time he could certainly be effective in spots for Washington.