The newest member of the Oakland A's won't have to wait long to make his debut.
Newly acquired pitcher Mike Fiers will make his first start for the green and gold on Wednesday against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers, he told reporters Monday.
Mike Fiers said he'll make his A's debut on Wednesday against the Dodgers.— Jason Beck (@beckjason) August 6, 2018
The 33-year-old right-handed pitcher tweeted he is "honored and excited" to come to the East Bay.
Wow. Being traded is bitter sweet. I'm so excited and honored to join this @Athletics pitching staff, although I will miss and cherish the great times I had with the @tigers. New chapter, same goal. #oaklandathletics #blessed— Mike Fiers (@Fiers64) August 7, 2018
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Less than a week ago, it first appeared Mike Fiers was headed to Oakland.
The Detroit Free Press' Anthony Fenech reported shortly before the deadline that the A's and Detroit Tigers were working on a deal centered on the starting pitcher. But, the clubs couldn't reach an agreement in time.
So, what changed between July 31 and Monday? The return, according to Tigers general manager Al Avila.
"Back then, we were dealing about possibly one player, now we negotiated two players," Avila told reporters Monday (via The Athletic). "So we feel good that out of these two players, we're going to probably come up with somebody, or two guys, that we feel good about - as opposed to before we didn't."
Avila and the Tigers will choose two players from a list, receive their medical information, and then formally complete their return, the general manager said. The team expects to selct prospects playing in Single-A and Double-A, MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Monday.
#Tigers expect to acquire two prospects from the Double-A/Class A levels in the Mike Fiers trade. @MLB @MLBNetwork— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 6, 2018
That would presumably exclude pitcher Jesuzs Luzardo, who just moved up to Triple-A, and infielder/center fielder Jorge Mateo, who's also in Nashville and began the season as Baseball America's No. 64 prospect.
