The Washington Nationals added a veteran presence to their bench. The Nationals signed utilityman Marlon Anderson, who played this past season with the New York Mets, to a two-year, $1.85 Million contract on Friday. The 31-year-old Anderson hit .264 (62-for-235) with seven homers and 19 RBI in 123 games for the Mets last season, but made his biggest contributions coming off the bench. The lefthanded hitter went 18-for-56 (.321) with a homer as a pinch hitter last year, finishing second in the National League in pinch hits. "Marlon Anderson has been one of the best lefthanded pinch hitters in baseball the last three years," Bowden said. "One of our goals this offseason was to improve our bench, especially from the left side of the plate."