Los Angeles Angels sign Doug Fister
With a four-game winning streak that has them just above .500, the Angels added Doug Fister to their starting rotation.
The Los Angeles Angels are hardly a World Series contender, but a four-game winning streak has them sitting just above .500 (22-21) heading into a weekend interleague series against the reeling New York Mets. The Houston Astros are already starting to run away with the AL West, but the Angels are part of a glut of teams within a couple games of a Wild Card spot right now. Yes it’s still early, but teams can cling to hope.
The Angels pitching staff has been thinned by injuries, both in the starting rotation (Tyler Skaggs, Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney) and the bullpen (Cam Bedrosian, Huston Street, Andrew Bailey). In search of some depth, they have made a move to add a starter.
According to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation, the Angels have agreed to a major league deal with veteran right-hander Doug Fister.
Angels in agreement on major-league deal with Doug Fister, source tells SB Nation. Pending physical.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) May 18, 2017
Fister had rumored interest from multiple teams through the early part of the season. The Angels were among five clubs to watch him throw in recent weeks, joining the Mets, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays and Giants. The Mets and Diamondbacks fell by the wayside more recently, and the Angels emerged.
Fister had a 4.64 ERA and a 5.7 K/9 over 180.1 innings (32 starts) for the Astros in 2016. Over eight major league seasons, with the Mariners, Tigers, Nationals and Astros, the 33-year old has a 77-76 record with a 3.60 ERA. His best season came in 2014 with Washington, when Fister went 16-6 with a 2.41 ERA over 25 starts on his way to an eighth-place finish in Cy Young voting.
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Once he passes a physical, Fister should step right into the Angels’ rotation. A solid innings eater with an ERA between 4.00 and 4.50 should be the expectation for manager Mike Scioscia.