Houston Astros: What happens with pitcher Mike Fiers this offseason?

The 2017 Houston Astros had many heroes. One forgotten player who contributed greatly in 2017 is pitcher Mike Fiers. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the glory and may begin the 2018 season elsewhere.

Starting pitcher Mike Fiers didn’t make the postseason roster of the Houston Astros in any of the team’s three series. Understandably so, Fiers pitched poorly this season.

His 5.22 ERA is nothing to boast about nor are the league-leading 13 batters he hit. Simply put: the Astros had better choices.

As bad as it was, the 2017 season did include one notable feat for Fiers. The 32-year-old led the team in innings pitched. It’s an underrated statistic, yet an important one for a team that had many pitchers spend time on the disabled list.

There’s something to say about the Astros’ rotation and how a guy left out of the postseason spent more time on the mound than anyone else. His 28 starts and 153.1 innings each led the way.

Charlie Morton’s 25 starts and 146.2 innings fell second to Fiers. Not far behind him was Dallas Keuchel who managed to log only 23 outings. Each would have surely bested Fiers if not for spending time on the DL.

Though it’s circumstantial, Fiers made more outs than any other Astros pitcher in the regular season.

Of course, it’s those postseason outs that mattered more. Without them, Fiers’ efforts would’ve been a complete waste.

However, this is a double-edged sword. Minus Fiers, the Astros may not have been as successful in the regular season despite his negative WAR.

To Fiers’ credit, he kept the Astros competitive in many of his starts. His 8-10 record isn’t glorious, but in the ten no-decisions, Houston went 8-2.

Fiers was a glue that kept the Astros regularly in games, even if his own performance wasn’t always great. He can credit the Astros’ offense for bailing him out regularly.

What happens to Fiers next season?

Based on how it all played out, Fiers’ role with the Houston Astros next year is going to change, if he even sticks around.

Keuchel, Morton, and Justin Verlander as guaranteed to stay in the rotation. Lance McCullers elevated his status in the postseason the same way Brad Peacock did through the 162 regular season games. Also, there is Collin McHugh to remember.

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Fiers is beginning to look like a potential long man in the bullpen, trade piece, or non-tender candidate. Teams won’t beg for his services, but someone would definitely consider him as an innings eater.

Fiers is a perfectly capable fifth starter, especially on a team with a more pitcher-friendly ballpark, where he might turn things around.

I imagine any trade involving Fiers would involve a minimal return for Houston. Or maybe he’s dumped into a deal including prospects to a team willing to give him another chance,  which is best case scenario for the Astros.

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Clearly, Fiers is not a guy the Houston Astros seem keen on using in the rotation moving forward. Since he is capable of pitching lots of innings, he’d better serve another squad in the back of the rotation.

My guess is Fiers enters the free agent market and finds his way onto a team like the San Diego Padres or Miami Marlins with dire starting rotation needs.