Washington Nationals should consider Mike Fiers as 5th starter
By Tim Boyle
The Washington Nationals aren’t expected to do much this winter. One addition they can make is to find a fifth starter. Now a free agent, Mike Fiers is an option they should consider.
Starting pitcher Mike Fiers joins the free agent pool following the Houston Astros’ decision to non-tender the righty. After two and a half seasons with the Astros, the 32-year-old will look for a new home in 2018. Could it be with the Washington Nationals?
Surely, even after two straight disappointing seasons in Houston, Fiers will find his way onto a big league roster somewhere. With the Washington Nationals pushing toward the luxury tax and in the hunt for a fifth starter, it might be worth considering Fiers to fill the void.
Promising young starter Joe Ross will miss most if not all of 2018 due to the Tommy John Surgery he underwent last season. Aside from him, the Nationals don’t have any definitive fifth starter candidates.
Once highly regarded pitching prospect Erick Fedde has lost some favor and probably won’t make an impact on the rotation for at least another year. Rather than spend a lot on a stud or hope A.J. Cole finally figures things out, the Washington Nationals have an opportunity to sign a bounce-back candidate in Fiers.
Fiers has regressed from the brief period he spent as a solid rotation option. The peak came when he tossed a no-hitter for the Astros in 2015 shortly after the Milwaukee Brewers traded him to Houston.
Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long. By the end of 2016, it was questionable how much he had left in the tank. His performance in 2017 only made the doubters from the previous year more confident in their beliefs.
Not much else went right for Fiers in 2017. After an unattractive 4.48 ERA in 2016, Fiers upped it to 5.22 this past season. The cause of this was a combination of allowing nearly two home runs per nine innings and losing command.
Fiers walked a career-worst 3.6 batters per nine frames and led the league with 13 hit by pitches. Hints of his increased wildness were noticeable the year prior when Fiers led the league with another poor statistic: wild pitches. Fiers fired 17 of those in his first full season with the Astros.
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Although there’s a lot of bad to say about Fiers, he’s still a pitcher with the capacity to strike batters out. Over the course of his career, Fiers has averaged 8.6 strikeouts per nine.
He’s also only two years removed from the successful 2015 season that helped land him on the contending Astros in the first place.
When it comes to finding a fifth starter, the Nationals shouldn’t bother with spending a fortune. They only need someone capable of tossing 150 innings and giving them a chance to win.
Fiers can do this better than Fedde or any of the Edwin Jackson impersonators on the free agent market; including Jackson himself.
Washington needs to find a bargain in that last rotation spot. Non-tendered candidates are a perfect place to find a down-on-their-luck pitcher hoping for an opportunity to prove himself on a one-year deal as Fiers should do.
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Adding depth is certainly a priority for the Nationals’ pitching staff this offseason. By giving Fiers a chance to compete for the fifth starter spot, the Washington Nationals can do that. Rather than a risky reunion with Jordan Zimmermann, Washington should let those with a lot left to lose have a dogfight.