Can someone please explain why Doug Fister hasn’t signed a contract yet? I mean really. We’ve seen guys like Scott Kazmir get three-year deals, John Lackey get two-year deals, and Fister’s been largely ignored?
Enter the Chicago Cubs. Fister isn’t an ace, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be highly valuable for a team like Chicago, mainly because of my disdain for Jason Hammel (can someone please trade for him?). Fister’s sinker-heavy arsenal would be a huge benefit in the fourth or fifth spot in the Cubs’ rotation because he’s likely going to eat a ton of innings for probably a reasonable amount of money.
He’s apparently already received offers for multiple years, but if he would sign a one-year, $9 million deal today with incentives, the Cubs should do it in a heartbeat.
As most Chicago fans know, the Cubs’ projected 2016 rotation comes with considerable risks. There’s very little insurance if someone goes down, and a guy like Fister would likely be able to win a ton of games backed by a good offense, a quality sinker, and a pitching coach like Chris Bosio. Fister has had success at the big league level with the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers, and even though he struggled with the Washington Nationals, I wouldn’t be concerned with his ability to make 32 starts next year.
Some folks forget that prior to his time in Washington, Fister was worth 15.4 fWAR from 2010-2013, making him the 15th most valuable qualifying starter in the league over those four years. Frankly, I think it’s fortuitous in a weird way that he struggled to put up replacement-level value in 2015 (o.2 fWAR), because the Cubs can now get him at the discount they need. He’s clearly going to be motivated to have the best year of his career on a one-year contract, and the Cubs are sort of trying to win their first World Series since 1908, so it seems like a match made in heaven.
What really excites me about Fister? His sinker. In my humble opinion, he’s a better version of Kyle Hendricks (who reminds me so much of Casey Coleman, it’s sad). He throws harder, has better secondary stuff, and his veteran knowledge would fit perfectly in an already veteran-laden rotation. He hasn’t been in the news as being a problem off-field, so in an already tight clubhouse … actually, check that. Joe Maddon could probably get a New York Mets fan and John Rocker to co-exist. No problems there.
The Cubs are in the position to use the power of their roster in a situation like this. $9 million bucks is still a good salary for a guy like Fister, so it’s not like he’s getting peanuts. It’s a one-year deal, which gives the Cubs flexibility on the business side, and it allows young Cubs pitchers to further develop in the system without fear of being rushed (I’m looking at you, Duane Underwood).
I’d like to think Fister would want to be a part of potentially the most successful Cubs team of all time, play for a manager like Maddon, and see if Bosio can throw some magic on his right arm the way he did for Jeff Samardzija and Jake Arrieta.
So how about it, Cubs fans? Does this make enough sense? You tell me.
