According to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish, the Houston Astros have agreed to terms with free agent starting pitcher Doug Fister on a one-year deal.
Fister’s deal is worth $7 million in guaranteed money but if Fister reaches certain incentives, the deal could be worth up to $12 million.
Source: Fister gets 1-year, $7M deal from Astros. Deal can max out at $12M if performance bonuses are reached.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 28, 2016
In recent years, Fister has lost some velocity on his fastball and his stats show a bit of a decline. His 2015 season was marred by injuries, and Fister’s ERA spiked up from 2.41 in 2014 to 4.19. He was an effective starter early in the season, pitching to a 3.28 ERA in April before the injury bug bit. Despite the struggles and falling out of the starting rotation, Fister was attractive to teams this offseason based largely on the fact that he does not have a draft pick attached to him. His past success makes him a very good low-risk, high-reward signing for Houston.
Next year does not look like it will be very strong for the free-agent pitching market, so if he can put together a solid season this year, Fister, currently 31 years old, could reap the benefits with a better contract going into 2017.
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