Texas Rangers Sign Veteran Starter Doug Fister

The Texas Rangers have made the first move this off-season signing starter Doug Fister. What kind of impact can the veteran righty bring to Arlington next season?

The Texas Rangers bring in veteran righty Doug Fister on a one-year deal. The 33-year-old is expected to join the Rangers rotation pending physical. The rest of the details of this signing are still unknown at this time.

Fister went 5-9 with a 4.88 ERA in 18 games (15 starts) with the Boston Red Sox in 2017. He pitched in one postseason game with Boston last season, but was slapped around for three earned runs in four innings.

The veteran righty brings plenty of postseason experience to this Texas rotation. He’s pitched in five different postseason series and one World Series during his nine-year career. Fister has pitched in over 230 Major League games.

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During his nine-year career Fister is 82-85 with a 3.68 ERA and was top 10 in Cy Young balloting during the 2014 season. This is not the “huge” signing Rangers fans have been waiting for, but it does help.

The Rangers rotation looks as following: Cole Hamels, Martin Perez, and now Fister. Clearly still needs work, but this signing is an encouraging move by Texas. It shows that Texas is not going to lay down and concede.

It’s unlikely Fister would not sign with an organization attempting to rebuild. He wants to win and so does Texas and that was clearly part of the message. Fister has played with the Houston Astros and Red Sox the last two seasons.

Neither team was able to help Fister get that World Series ring. Could the Rangers be the team that finally helps Fister win that title?

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