Captain Obvious Says: Detroit Tigers Trade Of Doug Fister Now A Complete Bust

Whenever a major trade happens in baseball it is always best to withhold judgement on the trade until all elements of the deal have panned out.  When the Detroit Tigers traded Doug Fister to the Washington Nationals for Robbie Ray, Ian Kroll and Steve Lombardozzi, the first instinct was to hate the deal.  But we were constantly reminded of the talent of Robbie Ray and the potential that existed in his left arm.

But that final evaluation of the Fister trade didn’t come on the mound at Comerica Park.  Instead it will be judged as an item listed on the transaction report.

The Detroit Tigers trade of Robbie Ray today is an unofficial acknowledgment by Dave Dombrowski that the Fister deal was a complete disaster.

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In less than a calendar year just one of the three players acquired in the Fister trade is on the 40-man roster.  That player is reliever Ian Kroll who struggled to contribute last season before getting injured in the second half. He doesn’t figure to contribute next season either.

As difficult as it may be to believe this deal looked as if it would trun out very well for the Tigers. At the onset of the 2014 season the deal looked as if it would greatly benefit the Detroit Tigers. Doug Fister started the season on the DL and initially looked as if he would miss the majority of the season.  But the 30-year-old right hander came off the DL to start 25 games and earn 16 wins while posting a 3.93 ERA.  In fact he was a big reason the Nationals were dominant during the September stretch run.

Sound familiar? It should

Doug Fister went 4-1 in September for the Detroit Tigers in 2013 while helping them lock up the division.  In fact, Doug Fister has a made a career for himself down the stretch.  Fister is 19-12 with a 3.08 ERA career during the closing months of the season. Seems clutch pitching is an area in which Doug Fister excels.  That is certainly something the Detroit Tigers could have used in 2014.

Dave Dombrowski has made plenty of great trades.  Some of them the best in Tigers hisotry. Remember it was trades that brought Miguel Cabrera and Max Scherzer to Detroit.  But as great as those trades were the Fister trade is equally as bad. You are only as good as your last deal and in that regard Dave Dombrowksi may be on the hot seat for the firast time in his tenure and Detroit Tigers Generla Manager. This is a what have you done for me lately world and in that world the Doug Fister trade threatens to stain Dave Dombroski’s legacy.  Unless of course he can help get the team a World Series championship.