Doug Fister

Rangers Sign Doug Fister

By Connor Byrne | November 28, 2017 at 4:01pm CDT

In what has been a slow offseason for all 30 big league clubs, right-hander Doug Fister has broken the ice and signed a one-year deal with the Rangers, the team announced today. Fister, a client of PSI Sports Management, will reportedly be guaranteed $4MM in the form of a $3.5MM base salary for 2018 and either a $4.5MM club option or a $500K buyout for 2019. The option could reportedly be worth as much as $7MM, and both years include $500K in performance bonuses. The Rangers’ 40-man roster is now up to 39 players.

The Rangers will be the seventh big league organization for the soon-to-be 34-year-old Fister, who went through all of last offseason without landing a contract after struggling with the Astros in 2016. The Angels finally signed Fister to a minor league accord in May, but he opted out of it June 21 after failing to reach the majors with the club.

[Related: Updated Texas Rangers depth chart & payroll outlook]

After his Halos stint concluded, Fister quickly caught on via waivers with the Red Sox and ended up turning in 90 1/3 innings (18 appearances, 15 starts) of 4.88 ERA pitching, with 8.27 K/9 against 3.79 BB/9 and a 50.6 percent groundball rate. Fister experienced a notable uptick in velocity during his Red Sox tenure, though he still only topped out in the low-90s, and notched one of the best swinging-strike rates of his career (7.6 percent – up from a league-worst 5.7 percent from 2015-16).

While the 6-foot-8 Fister is no longer the front-line starter he was at times with the Mariners, Tigers and Nationals earlier in his career, the Rangers are banking on his respectable showing in Boston carrying into 2018. With Andrew Cashner and Miguel Gonzalez sitting on the open market, the Rangers entered the offseason in need of multiple starters. Texas’ rotation finished last season 24th in both ERA and fWAR, and that was with 137 quality innings from Yu Darvish, whom the team traded to the Dodgers at the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

For now, the Rangers’ projected starting staff for 2018 includes Fister, Cole Hamels, Martin Perez, A.J. Griffin and Nick Martinez. While Fister, Hamels and Perez are either strong bets or locks to earn spots, the Rangers would hard pressed to count on either Griffin or Martinez, who combined for 178 2/3 innings of replacement-level pitching in 2017. Adding Fister won’t be the Rangers’ last move this offseason as they attempt to repair their rotation, then, but it’s the majors’ first notable free agent signing in what has been an unusually quiet winter so far.

Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston first reported the agreement. SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo reported the terms of the contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Farrell, Orioles, Pitching, Rays

By Mark Polishuk | October 8, 2017 at 11:16am CDT

It was on this day in 1956 that Don Larsen made baseball history by tossing a perfect game in Game Five of the World Series. The right-hander had posted a 3.19 ERA over 276 2/3 IP for the Yankees in 1955-56, though he hadn’t yet fully established himself in the rotation, starting only 33 of his 57 appearances for the Bronx Bombers. Larsen also started Game Two of the 1956 Series but lasted only 1 2/3 innings thanks to four unearned runs allowed, making his dominance over the Dodgers just three days later even more unexpected. Larsen’s masterpiece was the only no-hit game in postseason history until the Phillies’ Roy Halladay tossed a no-no against the Reds in the 2010 NL Division Series.

Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

“There is considerable curiosity within the industry about” how the Red Sox will handle another potential early exit in the ALDS, ESPN’s Scott Lauber writes, with John Farrell’s job security being a major topic. A managerial change might be popular with Boston fans, though Lauber points out that some of the team’s larger issues (such as the lack of power on the roster) aren’t Farrell’s fault. Farrell has a World Series championship, three AL East titles and a 432-378 record in five years as the Red Sox manager, though his contract only runs through the end of the 2018 season.
With the Orioles looking for pitching help this winter, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko lists Jason Vargas, Doug Fister and Andrew Cashner as likely targets given that the team has been interested in all three in the past. Former Oriole Miguel Gonzalez is also a good bet, since Baltimore tried to re-acquire the right-hander in August before the Rangers outbid the O’s in trade talks with the White Sox. Since the Orioles have a stated need for left-handed starters, Jorge De La Rosa could be another option since the O’s were also interested in his services a few years ago, though Kubatko notes that de la Rosa worked exclusively out of the bullpen for the Diamondbacks in 2017.
“It was just time” for the Rays to shake up their coaching staff, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes, though this need manifested itself in a few different ways. Pitching coach Jim Hickey, for instance, said he had a “difference of opinion” about the team’s plan to go to the bullpen earlier in the games. Hickey already seemed likely to leave when his contract was up after the 2018 season, with an eye towards joining a more consistent contender. The Mets and Cardinals have already been rumored to be after Hickey to fill their pitching coach vacancies this winter. The Rays’ changes have resulted in just one coach (bullpen coach Stan Boroski) remaining from Joe Maddon’s staff, so manager Kevin Cash now has more of his own people in place.

Cafardo’s Latest: Lowrie, Fister, Geren, Cobb, Braves

By charliewilmoth | September 16, 2017 at 1:03pm CDT

Here are highlights of the latest from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:

The Athletics have a $6MM option or a $1M buyout on Jed Lowrie’s services for 2018, and Lowrie says he hopes the A’s retain him. “I love playing here,” he says. “I think being here surrounded by the good young players we have has been fun. So I hope to stay here, but you never know.” It would be eyebrow-raising, to say the least, if the A’s declined Lowrie’s option — he’s batting .276/.358/.444 this season. He could, however, be a trade candidate as the team attempts to find space for youngster Franklin Barreto.
Red Sox righty Doug Fister, a free agent to be, is being scouted by teams considering adding him over the winter, Cafardo writes. Fister did not sign until May of this season, but Cafardo notes that he’s unlikely to have to wait that long to find a big-league deal in the coming winter. Fister’s 4.40 ERA in 77 2/3 innings this year is similar to those of his last two seasons, but he’s bumped his K/9 from 5.7 in 2016 to 8.0 this season. He’s also fared well in the season’s second half. Those factors could make him a more attractive free agent this time around.
Dodgers bench coach Bob Geren could be a favorite to take over the Mets managerial job in the likely event that the Mets part ways with Terry Collins. Geren was previously the Mets’ bench coach and is a favorite of Mets GM Sandy Alderson.
The Orioles, Yankees and Blue Jays have seen Rays righty Alex Cobb up close in recent seasons, and they’ll be interested when he hits the market this winter, writes Cafardo. Cobb will also attract plenty of interest from outside the AL East as well, as he’ll be a good and more affordable alternative to a free agent ace.
Braves special assistant Bo Porter would have the edge over coach Ron Washington for the team’s managerial job should the Braves part ways with Brian Snitker. Snitker had previously looked very likely to return for 2018, but Fan Rag’s Jon Heyman wrote earlier this week that the Braves were “assessing their managerial situation,” with Porter and Washington (both of them former MLB managers) as possibilities to replace Snitker.

Red Sox Place David Price On DL, Aren’t Currently Planning To Pursue Starters

By Jeff Todd | July 28, 2017 at 3:30pm CDT

3:30pm: President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski addressed the Boston media today and definitively stated that he’s not in the market for rotation help (Twitter link via the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier). “We’re not going to go out and make a big trade for a starting pitcher,” said Dombrowski, adding that Doug Fister is slated to step back into the Boston rotation.

Evan Drellich of CSN New England tweets that Dombrowski was confident that Price will return this season, though he was again non-specific about the nature of Price’s injury. Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal adds that the injury was described as inflammation in Price’s elbow, not his forearm. His timeline for a return to the mound is uncertain.

11:18am: At present, Boston doesn’t intend to enter the market for starters, per Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network (via Twitter).

10:04am: Price will go on the DL, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).

9:13am: It has been an eventful season for Red Sox lefty David Price, who opened the year on the DL and has since become embroiled in a running spat with the Boston media. Now, with the trade deadline just days away, Price is again dealing with elbow issues, according to Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).

The full severity of the problem isn’t yet apparent, but Price underwent an MRI yesterday, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). Notably, it’s the “same forearm issue” that the southpaw dealt with earlier this year, per Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald (via Twitter), and it’s likely that he’ll be scratched from his scheduled start this evening.

It’s too soon to guess at the implications of this news. But it’s obviously troubling to hear of new elbow questions for a Red Sox club that was hoping to count on Price as a key member of the staff down the stretch and into the postseason. And that’s all before considering the massive future obligations still owed under the contract that drew Price to Boston before the 2016 season.

If the Red Sox feel there’s enough concern to warrant a look at the trade market, they’ll find a long list of possible targets. But the few impact hurlers that may be available figure to draw high prices. Unless there’s a clear indication that Price could be looking at an extended absence, then, the club may prefer to simply go with what it has and hope for the best. It’s important to remember that the August revocable waiver period could also offer some possible solutions.

AL East News & Rumors: Darvish, Yanks, Rays, Red Sox

By Connor Byrne | July 22, 2017 at 5:52pm CDT

The Yankees had scout Brandon Duckworth in attendance to watch Texas’ game in Tampa Bay on Friday, leading to speculation that the Bombers are interested in Rangers ace Yu Darvish, writes George A. King III of the New York Post. New York is one of many potential suitors for Darvish, who struck out 12 Rays in eight innings Friday. For the Yankees, Darvish would more than make up for the loss of Michael Pineda to Tommy John surgery and give the playoff hopefuls another front-line starter to join Luis Severino. However, it’s unclear whether they’d be willing to pay what figures to be a heavy price for a rental.

More on New York and a couple of its AL East rivals:

In unfortunate news for the Yankees, second baseman Starlin Castro is headed back to the disabled list with hamstring issues, tweets King. The Yankees will recall rookie Tyler Wade to take over for Castro, who first hit the DL in late June because of a Grade 1 hamstring strain. Castro came back July 15 and appeared in six of eight games before his latest DL placement. Injuries notwithstanding, the 27-year-old is in the midst of a fine season, having hit .307/.344/.472 with 12 home runs in 337 plate appearances.
The Rays are interested in acquiring reliever Pat Neshek from the Phillies, so Philadelphia is heavily scouting Tampa Bay’s farm system, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). Neshek is among a host of relievers the bullpen-needy Rays have been eyeing with the deadline approaching.
While the Rays are currently looking for outside help, they have an in-house reinforcement on the way in center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who suffered a hip fracture June 8. Kiermaier is eligible to return from the DL on Aug. 9, and he expects to do just that if all goes well on a rehab assignment, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Even though Kiermaier is one of the Rays’ cornerstones, their outfield has fared nicely in his absence, with Mallex Smith and Peter Bourjos filling in well in center.
The Red Sox aren’t cutting ties with struggling righty Doug Fister, but they have demoted him from the rotation to the bullpen, per Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com. The 33-year-old Fister became the odd man out after the return of Eduardo Rodriguez, who was on the shelf with a knee injury from the beginning of June until earlier this week. Fister, whom Boston claimed off waivers from the Angels in late June, has recorded a 7.89 ERA, 7.48 K/9, 6.23 BB/9 and a 36.8 percent ground-ball rate over 21 2/3 innings and five appearances (four starts) with the Red Sox. His walk rate is significantly higher than his career mark (2.03 per nine), but the Red Sox expect positive regression in that department. “We had a chance to sit and talk a little bit earlier today and you look at the start he made in Texas where a lot of his misses were up above the strike zone,” said manager John Farrell. “He made a tangible adjustment where (Thursday), granted there were misses, but they’re below the strike zone where he has got to miss. That’s where he needs to live.”

Red Sox Claim Doug Fister Off Release Waivers

By Steve Adams | June 23, 2017 at 1:15pm CDT

1:15pm: Cotillo tweets that Fister will be added directly to the Red Sox’ Major League roster.

12:40pm: The Red Sox have claimed righty Doug Fister off release waivers, reports SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter links). The signing is a reunion of sorts for Fister, who previously spent two and a half seasons with the Tigers when Dave Dombrowski was Detroit’s general manager. Because he was claimed off release waivers, Fister will have the option to reject the claim and hit free agency, though he’d be turning a way a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster, so that route seems unlikely.

By making the claim, the Red Sox are agreeing to take on Fister’s existing contract, which came with a $1.75MM salary (pro-rated) for any time spent in the Majors, Cotillo reported at the time of the signing. He can also earn up to $1MM worth of incentives based on games started or $200K based on relief work, per the associated press. It’s not clear whether Fister will head to Triple-A or join Boston’s big league staff, though he is tuned up to the point where he could conceivably step into manager John Farrell’s rotation.

Fister made three starts with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate, totaling 15 2/3 innings with 10 strikeouts against five walks. Of course, most of his success came in his first minor league outing (five innings, one run on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts). Fister was hit a bit harder in his second and third outings, yielding six runs in 10 2/3 innings with more walks (four) than punchouts (three).

Fister, though, has a lengthy track record of success in the big leagues and should provide some depth to a rotation that currently has options Steven Wright, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brian Johnson and Roenis Elias on the disabled list. While it’s been a few years since he posted above-average marks as a starter, Fister did take the ball for 32 starts as a member of the 2016 Astros, working to a 4.64 ERA across 180 1/3 innings in the Houston rotation.

AL Notes: McCullers, Morton, Fister, Yankees, Red Sox

By Jeff Todd | June 22, 2017 at 10:09am CDT

Here’s the latest from around the American League:

The Astros have weathered the absences of several top starters, though the team is surely looking forward to welcoming them back in time to make a full rotation assessment before the trade deadline. First in line seems to be righty Lance McCullers; as Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle writes, the excellent young hurler is set to return to the bump on Saturday. He has missed time with a lower back issue, but it doesn’t appear to be cause for much concern in the bigger picture.
Meanwhile, fellow Astros righty Charlie Morton is scheduled for a short rehab outing tonight, as Kaplan further writes. The hope is that he’ll be ready to make it back to the MLB hill before the All-Star break. Morton has been quite a pleasant surprise, despite the time missed for a lat strain. He has not only provided 57 2/3 solid innings, posting a 4.06 ERA, but has shown the promise of delivering even better results. Morton is sitting in the mid-nineties with his fastball while carrying 10.1 K/9, both of which dwarf his prior full-season marks.
The division-rival Angels continue to face pitching questions of their own, but decided to pass on a chance to add veteran righty Doug Fister to the active roster — instead allowing him to return to free agency by exercising his opt-out clause. Los Angeles did want to keep the veteran around, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, who tweets that GM Billy Eppler asked Fister to keep working with the organization’s Triple-A affiliate. But Fister’s camp evidently sees greater opportunity on the open market, where he could conceivably find a MLB roster spot if there’s a team that has an immediate need for pitching and believes Fister is prepared to return to the game’s highest level.
It still isn’t clear what the Yankees will do at the first base position for the rest of the year, but it’s an increasingly interesting question. MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch looks at the latest. There’s some renewed hope that youngster Greg Bird can work back to health, as he’s set to resume baseball activities soon following a cortisone shot in his problematic ankle. But he’s a total question mark after a long layoff and distinct struggles at the plate this year. Meanwhile, manager Joe Girardi offered a tepid review of Chris Carter, who’s currently the preferred option. Prospect Tyler Austin has been productive at Triple-A, but is also whiffing at a hefty rate. GM Brian Cashman says that he thinks the club is still best-served by relying on Carter for the time being, while offering optimism that the internal options will come through this year. Still, it’s fair to wonder whether the Yanks will end up exploring the trade market this summer.
It seems the Red Sox are positioned to land the top Venezuelan prospect when the new July 2nd signing period opens, Ben Badler of Baseball America writes. Catcher Daniel Flores draws rare praise for his skills behind the dish. And while there’s still some work to do with the bat, Badler says there’s still power to be tapped into for the switch-hitter. You’ll want to read the entire post for a full sense of just why Flores is seen as such a special prospect. It seems Boston could return to the international market with a bang after finishing a one-year ban on bonus pool-limited signings.

Doug Fister Opts Out Of Angels Contract

By Jeff Todd | June 21, 2017 at 3:29pm CDT

3:29pm: Fister did indeed exercise his opt-out, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. He’ll be on release waivers for the next 48 hours and will then have the opportunity to sign on with another team once he clears. While Fister could technically be claimed off release waivers, any team doing so would have to be comfortable paying him at the pro-rated $1.75MM salary he agreed to with Anaheim, and other clubs may prefer to aim for a lower rate once he clears.

2:40pm: The Angels have released veteran righty Doug Fister from his minor-league deal, per a club announcement. Today was the date for his opt-out opportunity, so it appears likely that the Halos elected not to add him to the MLB roster and instead granted a request that he be returned to the open market.

Fister, 33, had a promising first outing at Triple-A, but his two more recent starts haven’t been as successful. In total, he has a 4.02 ERA with 10 strikeouts and five walks through 15 2/3 innings against minor league opponents.

That showing evidently wasn’t enough to motivate the Angels to clear a roster and rotation spot for Fister. At this point, perhaps, there wasn’t much upside to such a move. It’s now been three years since the right-hander was an above-average contributor in a big league rotation, and his fastball velocity has taken a notable dip in recent years. Last year, Fister was able to make 32 starts last year for the first time since 2013, but wasn’t very effective (4.64 ERA, 5.7 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 45.3 percent ground-ball rate) with the division-rival Astros.

Of course, that’s not to say that he won’t draw interest. There were reportedly five clubs that at least kicked the tires on Fister last time around — the D-backs, Mets, Giants and Blue Jays were all linked to him as well last time in free agency — and there are plenty of clubs that could use depth options in the rotation. While it’s possible that a pitching-needy team (e.g. Twins, Orioles) agrees to plug Fister directly into the rotation, the majority of interested parties figure to be eyeing arrangements similar to the one from which Fister just opted out in Anaheim.

AL West Notes: Fister, Segura, Brugman, Doolittle

By Steve Adams | June 8, 2017 at 5:55pm CDT

Doug Fister’s first start with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate went quite well, as the veteran right-hander tossed five innings of one-run ball and allowed just four hits and no walks to go along with seven strikeouts. Of the 11 balls put into play against him, seven were hit on the ground (63.6 percent rate). Fister reportedly has a June 21 opt-out in his contract with the Angels, so the Halos can get another couple of looks at him before making a decision on whether to promote him to the Majors, though his first outing was certainly encouraging.

Angels Sign Doug Fister

By Steve Adams | May 22, 2017 at 12:15pm CDT

12:15pm: Fletcher reports that Fister also has an out clause in his contract and will be released if he’s not in the Majors by June 21 (Twitter link). Cotillo noted that the contract has up to $1.2MM worth of incentives available, and as the Associated Press reports, $1MM of those incentives are tied to starting, while $200K are tied to relief work. According to the AP, Fister will earn $100K for making each of his eighth, 10th and 12th starts as an Angel. He’d also earn $150K apiece for reaching 14, 16 and 18 starts, plus another $250K if he starts a 20th game. The deal also has $200K worth of relief incentives — $50K for his 25th and 30th appearances plus $100K for his 35th.

MAY 22, 7:38am: Cotillo reports that Fister will received a pro-rated $1.75MM base salary in the Majors. Fister’s salary is not guaranteed, Fletcher tweets.

MAY 20: The Angels have made the signing official, with Fister inking a one-year deal (hat tip to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). He will be assigned to Class-A ball in order to get himself ready for big league action. In a corresponding move to create 40-man roster space, Andrew Bailey was shifted to the 60-day DL.

MAY 18: The Angels are in agreement with free-agent right-hander Doug Fister on a Major League contract, reports SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). Fister is a client of PSI Sports Management.

As of last week, the 33-year-old Fister was said to be close to signing, and Cotillo listed the Angels as one of five clubs in the mix for him at that time. Presumably, though his contract is of the Major League variety, the veteran Fister has consented to be optioned to the minors in order to ramp up to the point where he’s big league ready. Due to the fact that he didn’t sign a contract this past offseason, Fister hasn’t been pitching competitively anywhere and isn’t likely to be ready to step right onto a big league pitching staff.

Pitching depth is a clear area of need for the Halos, who entered the season with Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano mending from Tommy John surgery and have since lost Garrett Richards (biceps strain) and Tyler Skaggs (oblique strain) to long-term injuries. (Skaggs, who is expected to miss more than two months, could be moved to the 60-day DL to create room for Fister on the 40-man roster).

With those four arms on the shelf, the Halos have been utilizing Ricky Nolasco, Matt Shoemaker, J.C. Ramirez, Jesse Chavez and Alex Meyer in the starting rotation. Fister could conceivably step into the spot of either Chavez or Meyer, though he could also begin the year in a long relief role if the Halos’ incumbent starters are performing well by the time he’s ready to join the staff.

It came as something of a surprise when Fister went unsigned this winter. Perhaps the veteran was holding out in hopes of securing a MLB roster spot, as he has now done. Whatever the reason, there ere plenty of organizations that surely would’ve liked to bring him in to compete in camp. After all, he was a high-quality starter as recently as 2014, when he gave the Nationals 164 innings of 2.41 ERA pitching.

That’s not to say that Fister had entered the open market on a high note. He inked a one-year, make-good deal with the Astros last year after struggling (and losing velocity) in 2015. Things did not go as hoped, as Fister ended with a 4.64 ERA with 5.7 K/9 against an uncharacteristically high 3.1 BB/9.

Looking underneath the hood a bit, that 2016 effort doesn’t look a whole lot better. Fister worked out of the zone less than ever (46.1% versus 52.3% career) even as he drew less chases than he had previously (28.9% versus 32.0% career). His typically strong groundball rates have fallen somewhat over the past two years, with Fister also allowing more dingers (over 1.2 per nine) than he had during his peak years.

If there was a positive to be found in Fister’s 2016 campaign, it was definitely in the health department. He made it through 32 starts for the first time since 2013 and did rebound a bit in the velocity department — though he still averaged about a tick less with the fastball than he did in 2014. If Fister can build on that, with an extra-long winter rest under his belt, then perhaps there’s a resurgence still to be found for the respected veteran.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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