The Tigers have filled the fifth spot in their 2018 rotation, announcing on Friday a one-year deal with free agent right-hander Mike Fiers. He’ll reportedly earn $6MM on the contract and will remain under Tigers control through 2019 as an arbitration-eligible player. Detroit’s 40-man roster is now full.
Detroit has long seemed to make sense as a landing spot for a bounceback starter or two, and Fiers clearly fits that description. The 32-year-old was recently non-tendered by the Astros, who were unwilling to commit to what MLBTR projected as a $5.7MM salary.
That no other teams stepped in to trade for Fiers seemingly suggested that the rest of the market was equally unwilling to pay that price. Yet Fiers has evidently secured a guarantee that’s greater than the projection. Of course, it’s possible that the market moved a bit more than anyone anticipated. And it’s at least arguably preferable to have him at a fixed price rather than risking an arb hearing.
It’s worth noting that Detroit will also pick up what’s essentially a team option at a floating price. Since Fiers is eligible for arbitration one more time, the organization will get to decide whether to tender him at the end of the 2018 season.
[RELATED: Updated Tigers Depth Chart]
Of course, that assumes that Fiers is not traded in the interim. If all goes as hoped, and he delivers strong results, perhaps he’ll end up being pursued by contending teams over the summer. (While the Tigers certainly could, in theory, be competitive themselves, that seems quite unlikely given the organization’s direction.)
The 2017 season wasn’t kind to Fiers, who ran a 5.22 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 over 153 1/3 innings. While many of his peripheral numbers fell in their normal ranges, Fiers coughed up a hefty 1.88 dingers per nine.
But he has shown more in the past, including a steady showing in 2015, when he put up 180 1/3 innings of 3.69 ERA ball and memorably threw a no-hitter. Fiers has also been healthy of late, taking the ball for at least 28 starts in each of the past three seasons, even if he doesn’t always work deep.
Taking a chance on some kind of turnaround is easy enough for an organization that is entering a rebuilding phase and needs innings. As currently composed, the rotation would likely feature Fiers along with Michael Fulmer, Jordan Zimmermann, and lefties Matthew Boyd and Daniel Norris. It’s still possible to imagine the Tigers adding another arm to that mix, even if that just means bringing in some veterans on minor-league pacts to provide depth and spring competition.
Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press first reported the two sides were close to a deal (via Twitter). ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported the agreement and terms (via Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Why?!?
tanking
innings.
is
Because
Because.
they
want
To
lose
again
and
they
will
succeed.
Whoa
Impressive
BUT!
make sure to overpay when you plan to lose again and succeed because
They have four SP right now and three of them pitched to higher ERAs than Fiers last year. They needed a fourth number five.. what don’t you get?
The $6 million is what I don’t get. The Tigers will set a record for losses in a season in 2018.
Oh, I highly doubt they break their own 114 loss season, or whatever that loss total was in 01.
They still have a decent enough team that they won’t be that bad. I think they hover around 70 wins this season.
Quickly went to the 1975 season that remember was gawd-awful and the horrid pitching they had..
I can’t see it as bad as that bunch.. Vern Ruhle, whose best known for breaking the hand of rookie kid name of jim rice with a pitch that year. Smokin’ joe coleman, whose fb couldn’t break a pane of glass (charles o’finley quote when he later dumped him in his career). Mickey lolich, who HAD been a decent pitcher, but was now a husk of what had been..
This entire team was rookies that never made it, or burned out vets, like biil freehan and willie horton
Even has a future manager name of gene lamont on the roster.
2003 Tigers lost 119 games….thats the most in the 162 game era I believe, and truly a phenomenal level of ineptitude. I believe that rotation at one point even featured 3 sp’s from my hs league at the same time….including the one I got my first hs varsity hit off of as a Freshman. 119 losses for that Trammell led team…wow.
Why does $6 million bother you? That’s what a 4/5 starter costs per year now. It’s not 2001 anymore.
You’re correct, but the ML record is still held by the Mets at 120. I remember the last game that year when the Twins mercifully emptied their bench and the Tigers won. That team had only one actual major league player in Higginson and is in no way comparable to the current squad like some people here are suggesting. If they’re finished trading, they could win 75-80.
I remember 1975 too. Good comparison. Just as the 2018 Tigers, the 1975 Tigers were in the second season and tear down phase of their rebuild. The talk of the preseason was Nate Colbert.
Dmitri young, Ramon Santiago, bonderman, Fernando Rodney, Craig Monroe, Matt Anderson. All players who had good major league talent. A lot of them had injuries that cut career short and my not have been hall of gamers but all stop major league level.
Nate Colbert and Stan Musial, if I’m not mistaken are the only 2 players to hit 5 homers on one day.
You mention Matt Anderson and not Carlo Pena, Brandon Inge, Jamie Walker, or Omar Infante?? Santiago’s .576 OPS didn’t help them much and the only reason Pena ended up with a .772 OPS was because he had his August hitting frenzy. Young had a great year, but that was it. Pitching was the huge weakness with only of the 20 pitchers used that season posting a FIP under 4.00 and they only pitched 46 innings.
Its also about 15MM less than what Anibal Sanchez made last year.
The Mets lost 120. Tigers couldn’t even get that record.
Why not? Tigers are rebuilding. He needs a comeback year. And he can eat some innings. If he does good, they can trade him over the summer
+1 definitely some upside where they can flip him for prospects during the summer.
Because he’s a pitcher whose arm is still attached, he can throw a baseball 60’6″ and I declined because I’m too busy doing yard work.
this made me literally LOL
That yard work must pay well…I might have to get me some of that action.
One year contract. Has a good first half, flip him at the deadline. It’s not a hard concept. If he doesn’t have a good first half, he’ll still eat innings and then gone after the year. He’s cheap, with upside, and one year deal
No such thing as a terrible one year contract.
I don’t love it and I don’t hate it…decent signing for the kitties
Wouldn’t he rather go to the O’s on a 2 year deal. Dont think arbitration would be more than what the contract would have been.
being in a better park and division coulda played a role.
Probably wants to bounce back and try his hand at a bigger guarantee next offseason. Also could’ve been concerned about something coming up in an orioles physical. Who knows. Orioles probably aren’t missing anything here. His era is up and his k rates have been down in the Al, probably not going to improve in OPACY v the Al east
If he has a big season the Tigers will tenure him a contract and go to arbitration
That’d still be a raise over what he’d get as a guarantee now. If he has a good year he’ll get a significant raise on his 6mil. Don’t know what the orioles offered so it’s hard to compare.
Chance to be dealt back into a pennant race too if he he shows well.
Suspect the O’s offer was not all that good even if it was 2 years. Plus, next off season, will be his final year of arbitration eligibility. That is the time where players get their biggest raises in arbitration. So if he has a good year, he likely exceeds whatever the O’s were offering.
Looks like this takes the Tigers out of the running in the Stanton sweepstakes.
Haha yea now that ship has sailed. Bummer too cuz the Tigers would be a perfect fit for over paid players.
This is a perfect marriage of a bad team and bad player.
And a bad post.
Oh? And What’s so stinking about it?
when the QO is almost 3 times this amount and we’ve seen mediocre pitchers offered it, this really is a no-lose situation… I wish the Phils would have offered up 7 mil on what will be a good investment
He only has to be better than Matt Boyd, anibal Sanchez, or Jordan Zimmerman were. Pretty easy task.
Yea if only Sanchez was still on the Tigers.
He is referring to last year’s pitchers and their results. He doesn’t have to be too good to be an improvement.
Yah this guy will be a starter. Tigers pitchers are worse than him. Boyd and Norris are garbage and shouldn’t be on a pro team.
Look at Fulmer’s numbers last year we should have traded him. I said that even before his latest injury. Tigers blew that chance now we are having to sign guys like this.
You’re saying Michael Fulmer’s not worth a top prospect anymore because he had an average year, with an injury? He still was the rookie of the year just a year ago, and was still pitching well before the all star break. Anyway, Fulmer will start the season at just 25 years old. With so much upside, win now/contending teams would be willing to give-up a good prospect(s) for him.
You must be a teacher who sees at least a glimmer of light in every student.
I’m pretty sure fulmer has 4 more control years…chillax
Why would you trade Fulmer when the entire point of the trade would be to get a pitcher a couple of years younger that could be as good as he is? Teams don’t trade those if they can help it, so the result is an inevitable downgrade. His ‘injury’ was the same thing he played thru during his ROY year. They shut him down last year because they were going nowhere and it was the ideal time to fix it. With no nerve damage and no ligament damage, he’ll be just fine next year.
Fiers is a solid #4/5, for the Astros which relied on him a lot last year. In June or July he was the only original starter they had that wasn’t on the DL. No great place for him on the team for nearly $6M per year. He is a good pick up for the Tigers. May be one of the more consistent pitchers for the kitties next season.
Definitely smart for him to take a presumably higher AAV over one year as opposed to two of a lesser guarantee.
Hypothetically, if he signed a 2-year deal worth, say $8,000,000, and was solid in ’18, he would have screwed himself.
Even if he is bad next season, coming off of a $6,000,000 salary, he seems likely to still find a deal with a base salary in excess of $2,000,000 even if it is in a relief capacity.
With this he maximizes his earning potential over the next two years at the very least.
That being said, I probably wouldn’t have given him $6,000,000 as there are pitchers who could be had for less with significantly higher ceilings, however, as it was said earlier in this comment section, there’s really no such thing as a bad one year deal.
Who are these higher ceiling pitcher who can be gotten for under 6MM? Share us your wisdom, please!
Mike Pelfrey. Oh, wait. That was a lower ceiling pitcher at a higher price.
They’re available now for under $2 Mill but he won’t know who those pitchers are until August when they can be had for $8 Mill.
It’s easy to say there are higher ceiling pitchers that will sign for under 6mil but it’s harder to find a guy. Fiers was very solid for the brewers. Hasn’t been very good in the Al. Guys signing for 6 mil are going to be your Jeremy hellickson’s, Wade Miley, Miguel Gonzalez’s of the world. He has at least as much upside as any one of those guys.
Rock on Dipoto!
Solid signing. $6M is reasonable, though knucklehead fans will gripe about that number, thinking that somehow you should always be able to pay someone who struggled peanuts. He should be able to log some innings for us and if he does well, become someone we can flip for some prospects. He also comes with some measure of control as well which is important. Tigers have a lot of good young arms, but they are lower in the minors. Burrows and the recently acquired Franklin Perez being two who are the closest (AA in 2017). But no guarantee either will be ready to join the big club in 2019, so having another year of control on Fliers helps if they need more time.
I like the move. we can’t burn up our prospects while rebuilding
Man, what a bust the Gomez/Fiers trade was for the Astros. It’s probably why he waited so long to get Verlander, and passed on everyone else at the July deadline (price came down significantly in August). Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.
The price came down? I haven’t heard anything of that nature. Tigers stuck to their guns and got solid prospects from what I have seen. What do you know that we do not?
Good luck. He’s a terrible teammate to have in the dugout. Good riddance for the Astros. Also, he’ll probably hit up all the girls that graduate high school this year in the Detroit area. He’s known for that here in Houston.
“Hitting up all the girls that graduate high school”? Sounds like a perfectly normal guy to me….
Detroit had a 25% graduation rate in 2007, and its reportedly up to 77% now….so hes getting in at the right time….market is flooding.
Genius
Maybe he should run for Senator.
It’s a cheap deal and has no downside. Just remember they signed Pelfrey to a two year 16 million dollar deal and he was never good. That was a contract to gripe about. True fans don’t understand it’s going to take some time to get this team going again unless these cheap signings and minor league deals all pan out for a miracle.
Hopefully they are moving the fences back
They were at 38 at the rule 5 deadline. The recent signings of Martin and Fiers took the roster from 38 to 40. Will the Tigers still be able to make Rule 5 picks next week?
I’m guessing the Tigers will find a way to make a Rule 5 acquisition.
Yes. They just need to flat out cut someone off their 40-man. No more non-tenders. So whoever they remove from their 40 man becomes a free agent
You can see these guys get paid by the word. “It’s worth noting that” – if it isn’t, you shouldn’t be saying it.
So, which Astro’s head does he throw at first? Hopefully Yuli’s.
Not thrilled about a 5.22 ERA guy who is 32 and got MORE than the expected MLBTR Arbitration Number as a free agent.
Should be good enough for 4th place in the AL central
Fiers gets to go to a bigger ballpark, which may help with the HR problem. If he can cut his HR’s allowed, he is a nice pitcher to have.
I don’t see how anyone could be against this signing……. it’s for 1 year and 6 mil and the tigers need arms to eat innings while there young talent progresses in the minors.
Filling out the roster means they won’t use the #1 pick in the Rule V, which seems a bit odd. Obviously, it’s not a great way to build a team, but I’m surprised they won’t at least take a shot on some raw player from A-ball
Who knows, maybe they cut loose Victor Martinez….