The Detroit Tigers have made their second major trade of the off-season, dealing right-handed starting pitcher Doug Fister to the Washington Nationals for utility man Steve Lombardozzi, left-handed pitcher Ian Krol and minor league left-hander Robbie Ray.
The 29-year-old Fister, went 14-9 with a 3.67 ERA, and 1.31 WHIP in 33 games (32 starts) last year. He struck out 159, while walking 44 in 208 2/3 innings pitched. Fister tied for the American League lead in getting batters to ground into double plays, and allowed just 0.6 home runs per nine innings, second best in the AL. He was in his third season with the Tigers, and so is arbitration eligible. Fister has also been dependable for the Tigers in their last two post-season runs.
Fister joins a starting staff that includes Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez, and Ross Detwiler, and must be considered amongst the best in the majors, at least on paper.
“This is an exciting day for the Washington Nationals,” said Washington GM Mike Rizzo in a statement. “We feel we’ve added a talented, young veteran to our starting pitching corps. Doug is battle-tested through playoff experiences, and the depth he brings to our staff is exceptional. We are thrilled to welcome him aboard.”
Lombardozzi is a 25-year old utility ballplayer who offers versatility with his ability to sub in at second base, third base, and in the outfield. In 290 at-bats over 118 games last season he hit .259/.278/.336 with two home runs and 22 RBIs.
Krol, a 22-year-old left handed relief pitcher, posted a 3.95 ERA with 22 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings for the Nationals this past season. He is expected to be the Tigers main left handed reliever in the bullpen this coming year. Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said that Drew Smyly would likely be moving from the bullpen into the starting role vacated by Fister’s departure.
Ray, another 22-year-old is a right handed starter. He split the year between A ball and Double AA. He went 6-3 with a 3.11 ERA for Class A Potomac and went 5-2 with a 3.72 ERA for Double-A Harrisburg. Dombrowski indicated that he expects Ray to star the season at Triple-A Toledo with the ability to possibly pitch in the majors as early as 2014. Baseball America rated him as the Nationals’ No. 5 prospect.
Dombrowski denied that the move was made for monetary reasons or with planned extensions for Max Scherzer and Miguel Cabrera on the horizon, instead trying to sell the fanbase on it being a smart baseball transaction. “This was not an easy trade for (the Nationals) to make, either. We are excited to be adding three solid players to the organization,” Dombrowski said in a statment. “Robbie is a premium pitching prospect, Ian adds a quality lefthanded young arm for the bullpen and Steve provides our ballclub with versatility in several roles as a switch-hitting utility-man.”
Dombrowski is selling that story, and while the pieces the Tigers get back are decent, I believe that the financial motivator is the main one for Detroit, especially given the earlier Prince Fielder deal.
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