The Houston Astros burst onto the scene last season, leading the American League West for most of the season and eventually reaching the playoffs as a wild card team. This year they figure to be even better. Signing starting pitcher Doug Fister, who they’re rumored to be interested in, would certainly help their depth.

At this point, the Astros have 2015 AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel and another young starter in Collin McHugh at the top of their rotation. Beyond that, they don’t have a ton of depth, though. In step Fister.

Houston can take advantage of Fister having a down year in 2015 and get a steal. Clearly, 2015 was his worst full season, which will hurt his value.

Fister Career Breakdown:

2011: 11-13, 2.83 ERA and 146 strikeouts

2012: 10-10, 3.45 ERA and 137 strikeouts

2013: 14-9, 3.67 ERA and 159 strikeouts

2014: 16-6, 2.41 ERA and 98 strikeouts

2015: 5-7, 4.19 ERA and 63 strikeouts

Plenty of things played into Fister’s downturn in 2015. The Nationals had a ton of starting pitching depth and he wasn’t able to play as big a role as in the past. When he struggled early on, he was forced into bullpen duty on occasion as well. He only ended up making 15 starts.

One has to believe if he was given a starting role with a competitive team like the Astros, though, he would be able to bounce back. Even though he isn’t missing as many bats as he used to, he has become a more intelligent pitcher, which will enable him to pitch deeper into games.

At 31 years old, Fister still has several good years ahead of him. Signing him to a three-year contract would make sense for the Astros, but Fister may want to just sign a one-year deal to re-establish his value.

Based on how close they were last season, the Astros would figure to be among a couple top contenders in the American League if they added Fister to the mix. He would give them a very good rotation to go with an elite bullpen and very good, young lineup.