Blue Jays: Interest in Mike Fiers doesn’t bode well for George Springer
The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly have an interest in pitcher Mike Fiers, this presumably cannot bode well for their chances to land George Springer.
According to Jon Morosi of the MLB Network, the Blue Jays are exploring the possibility of pursuing free agent pitcher Mike Fiers. This news is very troubling in terms of their pursuit of George Springer seeing Fiers was the whistleblower who exposed the Houston Astros cheating scandal.
It has been reported all offseason that the Blue Jays brain trust is attempting to land George Springer this offseason, although it won’t come cheap, he appears to be their main focus thus far.
So why would the team even explore Fiers, who is a mediocre pitcher at best, if Ross Atkins and company feel they have a legitimate shot at landing the centerfielder? In saying that, Toronto has been linked to just about every possible available player this offseason so who knows how much interest they actually have at this point.
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You still have to bet that Springer doesn’t want to be anywhere near Mike Fiers after he exposed the Astros scandalous antics. Definitely not the best bargaining chip.
The 35-year old is just a guy and barely an uptick better than Tanner Roark, hardly a pitcher I would pursue even without the Springer ramifications that are attached to it. Last season Fiers made 11 starts for the Oakland Athletics going 6-3 with a 4.58 earned run average and an underwhelming 5.6 SO/9 rate in 59 innings of work.
The right-hander has a decade in the majors under his belt including two and a half seasons with Springer and the Astros from 2015-17. He sports a career 4.04 earned run average with a 12.6 WAR in 215 games.
Fiers made $8.1 million last season and will surely be seeking something in that range once again in terms of contract. Definitely not someone who is going to put the rotation over the hump and make them a contender.
If the Blue Jays are serious about Springer, they need to distance themselves from Fiers and his loose lips sooner than later.