Right-hander Doug Fister, Astros agree to $7M, 1-year deal

The news brings more competition to the team’s pitching staff.

According to Chris Cotteo on Twitter, He’s already passed his physical and will be introduced at a press conference on Thursday. The deal has been reported to be worth million with a chance for Fister to reach $12 million with performance-based incentives.

This time last year, Fister was on the verge of a big contract, coming off the best year of his career in his first season in Washington. He has pitched for Seattle, Detroit and Washington. He was demoted to the bullpen following his injury due to the emergence of rookie Joe Ross. Due to his injury and down year, he was expected to sign a short-term deal to re-establish his value for 2017 and beyond.

Houston is hoping to compete for a World Series title in 2016, and they have called upon a veteran right-hander to help make that happen.

If nothing else, Fister will provide some seasoning for a still-inexperienced Astros rotation. He’ll probably be the No. 5 starter, knocking Scott Feldman from the rotation to a long relief/spot starter role. In 2014, Fister finished eighth in the National League in Cy Young voting, posting a 2.41 ERA (albeit with a much worse 3.93 FIP) across 25 starts.