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The Baseball Hall of Famer twice had to be revived by doctors after suffering a heart attack in September.
The Baseball Hall of Famer twice had to be revived by doctors after suffering a heart attack in September.
The Rockies have yet another new arm for their bullpen, and one less outfielder to worry about.
Colorado acquired left-hander Jake McGee from the Rays on Thursday for outfielder Corey Dickerson as part of a four-player trade. The Rockies also received…
The Rockies have yet another new arm for their bullpen, and one less outfielder to worry about.
Colorado acquired left-hander Jake McGee from the Rays on Thursday for outfielder Corey Dickerson as part of a four-player trade. The Rockies also received minor league pitcher German Marquez and sent minor league infielder Kevin Padlo to Tampa Bay.
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The Rockies already had signed veteran relievers Jason Motte and Chad Qualls this winter to shore up a bullpen that had a major league-worst 4.70 ERA in 2015. McGee, 29, provides a lefty complement who even has some experience closing games.
McGee’s 2015 season started late after offseason elbow surgery and ended early due to a knee problem, but he was one of the best relievers in the majors in 2014 with a 1.89 ERA and a 0.897 WHIP in 73 appearances.
The Rockies’ decision to move Dickerson is no surprise. Since the team signed Gerardo Parra two weeks ago — giving Colorado four starting-caliber outfielders who all hit left-handed — the expectation has been that Dickerson, Charlie Blackmon or Carlos Gonzalez would be gone by spring training.
Dickerson, who turns 27 in May, has a .299/.345/.534 slash line in 265 games with Colorado over the last three seasons. Strong numbers, but it remains to be seen how well they will hold up once he no longer plays half his games in Denver. For his career, Dickerson has a 1.085 OPS at Coors Field compared to .695 elsewhere.
The Rays’ motivation in the deal is largely financial, as McGee will make $4.8 million this season and be eligible for free agency after 2017. They’ll get an additional two years of control on Dickerson, who isn’t arbitration-eligible until after this season.
This article has been updated with details of the trade.
The Astros found a veteran to fill out the back end of their starting rotation for 2016.
Doug Fister has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Houston, the team announced Thursday. The towering right-hander, who turns 32 next week, will slot in behi…
The Astros found a veteran to fill out the back end of their starting rotation for 2016.
Doug Fister has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Houston, the team announced Thursday. The towering right-hander, who turns 32 next week, will slot in behind Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh, Lance McCullers and Mike Fiers.
Fister is a candidate for a bounceback season after posting a career-worst 4.19 ERA for the Nationals in 2015. That came on the heels of a 2014 season that saw the former Mariner and Tiger go 16-6 with a 2.41 ERA in 25 starts for Washington.
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If nothing else, Fister will provide some seasoning for a still-inexperienced Astros rotation. He has thrown more innings in the majors (1,085 2/3) than McHugh, McCullers and Fiers combined (934) and also pitched in the postseason every year from 2011-14.
That track record could make him a solid bookend to the reigning AL Cy Young award winner Keuchel as the Astros look to improve on last season’s breakout campaign.
According to SB Nation, Fister will make $7 million, with the opportunity to increase his take to $12 million with incentives.