VIERA, Fla. — Looking to boost their injury- and haplessness-plagued pitching staff, the Washington Nationals agreed tentatively to a one-year deal with RHP Pedro Astacio on Monday.

Stung by one deal — a trade for Brian Lawrence — that resulted with their newly-acquired pitcher suffering from a pre-existing injury, Astacio’s contract is contingent on an MRI on his pitching arm. The team apparently rebuffed his assertion that the problem was that he’d been pitching in Arlington…

Published February 28, 2006