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The #Nats have acquired Doug Fister from the #Tigers in exchange for Steve Lombardozzi, Ian Krol & Robbie Ray: http://t.co/NKDTpWdjfu
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) December 3, 2013
Did your jaw hit the floor after you heard about this deal? If it hasn't, it should, or maybe even drop through the floor entirely and hit the center of the earth. The Tigers just traded Doug Fister (and two years of cost control over him) for a utility infielder, a meh (albeit young) reliever and a 21-year-old prospect who has a No. 3 or No. 4 ceiling. That's a worse return than the Cubs got last year for Matt Garza, a guy who is isn't as good as Fister and had only a half a year remaining on his contract.
Fister isn't just good, he's been one of the best pitchers in the American League ever since the Tigers acquired him in mid-2011. Further, he's durable, not missing a start in 2013.
I'm not sure who should be more embarrassed about this, the Tigers' front office or every other front office in baseball for not beating that laughable package.
I've been on the trade Jeff Samardzija bandwagon for some time, but I have no idea how to even begin to project his market after this mess. One thing is for sure, it can't be good for his trade value. Will other teams now be looking to ship a package worse than this to the Cubs for Shark? Or does this mean the Cubs are now going to re-visit signing him to a long-term deal?
It's definitely the biggest puzzler of the 2013-14 winter trade season so far. You probably have an opinion on this deal and what it might mean for Shark's future, so have at it.