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Red Sox Claim Doug Fister to Aid Ailing Rotation

An ailing, thin rotation has threatened to doom the Boston Red Sox in the first half of the 2017 season. The lack of organization pitching depth has been made glaringly evident by injuries, at various points, to David Price, Steven Wright, and Eduardo Rodriguez. The club sought to remedy that on Friday by signing veteran righty Doug Fister off of waivers from the Los Angeles Angels. Fister will join the major league roster. Boston will take on Fister’s $1.75 million contract. Fister can also earn $1 million in incentives for starting, and $200,000 for pitching in relief. SBN’s Chris Cotillo reported the deal first.

With Rotation Ailing, Red Sox Claim Doug Fister

The 33-year-old is an eight-year MLB veteran. He debuted in 2009 with the Seattle Mariners, and has since pitched for the Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and Houston Astros. Prior to being released, he’d spent 2017 pitching for Triple-A Salt Lake, the Angles top minor league affiliate.

Fister last pitched in the major leagues in 2016, and has had a rough couple years; in each of the last two seasons, Fister recorded ERAs over 4.00, including a 4.64 in his last campaign. However, he owns a 3.60 ERA for his career, and has proven time and again that he can be an effective big league starter.

In from 2011-2014, Fister recorded ERAs under 4.00 in each season, including sub-3.00 numbers in 2011 and 2014. His best year was 2011, when he struck out 146 and earned a 5.0 WAR while pitching for Seattle and Detroit. In 2014, he set a career-high with 16 wins.

Fister found some success in Triple-A this season. He tossed a seven-strikeout, one-run gem in his first start, but then gave up six runs over his next 10.2 innings. If he can limit his walks, he’s done well throughout his career, he can still be effective for the Red Sox. In any case, a veteran arm with a track record of success will be welcomed by an organization desperate for reinforcements.

Main Photo:

Josh Greenberg

Josh Greenberg

Josh has been with Last Word On Sports since 2014, and served as a writer and editor before being promoted to Baseball Department Head in August of 2015. In August of 2017, he stepped back down to editor. He previously wrote for the Daily Nexus and the Athletics Communications Department at UCSB, where received a degree in History. Josh got his Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2015. He's also a huge Red Sox fan.

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