Cabrera went 8-10 with a 5.25 ERA in 30 starts last season for the Baltimore Orioles, who declined to offer the right-hander a contract for 2009, making him a free agent.
He went on the disabled list in September after experiencing pain and tingling in his right elbow during a side session. An MRI revealed no damage, and the Orioles called the injury a sprained elbow.
"He's healthy. He's fine," Cabrera's agent, Mike Powers, said in a telephone interview Monday. "He's already pitched a game down in Dominican winter ball."
The 6-foot-7 Cabrera was signed as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 1999, and he went 12-8 for the Orioles as a rookie in 2004.
But he's had four consecutive losing seasons since, and his career record is 48-59 with a 5.05 ERA.
Powers would not reveal the financial terms of Cabrera's agreement with Washington. The (Baltimore) Sun said the deal is worth $2.6 million.
Nationals general manager Jim Bowden did not immediately respond to an e-mail requesting comment.
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