Oakland Athletics smartly re-signed Mike Fiers to two-year deal

The Hot Stove baseball world is starting to make some sense again as the Oakland Athletics re-signed the veteran pitched to a two-year contract.

Mike Fiers was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 2018 after spending the first half of the season with the Detroit Tigers.

Oddly, the A’s non-tendered Fiers in late November. It didn’t seem to make much sense as he was a low-cost arbitration-eligible player. He pitched well for both teams and only made $6 million in 2018.

The non-tendering paid off for the A’s and Fiers who were able to avoid the uncomfortable process of arbitration. His two-year deal is cost-efficient for the A’s and reasonable for a pitcher who will be 34 years-old mid-season.

Fiers had his best season in years, pitching a consistent 3.56. He was slightly better in his time with Detroit, where he pitched an ERA of 3.48. He had a much better WHIP in Oakland – 1.057. All-in-all, Fiers had what some could call a comeback season.

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This signing fills one of the holes in the A’s rotation. The A’s were relatively quiet until a few days ago when they were involved in the trade with the Rangers and Rays. They sent Emilio Pagan to the Rays and acquired Jurickson Profar from the Rangers. In the complicated trade that involves future considerations, they also sent Eli White to Texas. The A’s also signed Chris Herrmann to the fill the spot at catcher.

After the All-Star Break, the A’s pitching staff was solid. Four of their starters had ERA’s under 4.00. Sadly, only Sean Manaea and now Fiers are the only returning starting pitchers from their solid 2018 season that earned them a Wild Card bid.

Oakland seems to be making some moves to beef up the team with the addition of closer Joakim Soria who pitched for the White Sox and Brewers in 2018. Adding Fiers was a smart move, as he’s already proven he can help the team. But, the team still has work to do.

With the Rangers and Mariners in a rebuild mode, the A’s have to work to add to the rotation. The A’s won’t be able to contend if they keep Andrew Trigg and Paul Blackburn as regulars in the rotation. Their 5.23 and 7.16 ERA won’t stack up well against the pitching rotation in Houston, or against the hitters on the Angels roster.

Having a strong team is positive for any baseball community, but especially for one that wants a new stadium. The A’s have all the reasons to spend a little extra in this Hot Stove season.