Nationals trade for starting pitcher Fister

THE DETROIT Tigers yesterday traded starting pitcher Doug Fister to the Washington Nationals for three players.

The Nationals sent infielder Steve Lombardozzi, lefthander Ian Krol and minor league lefty Robbie Ray to Detroit.

The AL Central champion Tigers have been busy reshaping their roster this offseason. They traded slugger Prince Fielder to Texas and also let All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta leave as a free agent for St. Louis.

The 29-year-old Fister was 14-9 with a 3.67 ERA last season. The righty was 32-20 in two-plus seasons with the Tigers and has pitched especially well in the postseason.

Fister joins a talented Nationals rotation that already includes Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Gio Gonzalez.

In other baseball news:

* Free-agent lefthander Scott Kazmir reportedly is closing in on a $22 million, 2-year contract with the Oakland Athletics. The 29-year-old Kazmir went 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA in 29 starts and 158 innings last season for the Cleveland Indians.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired catcher Chris Stewart from the New York Yankees for a player to be named. Stewart hit .211 with four home runs and 25 RBI in a career-high 109 games for New York in 2013. He threw out 17 runners, the fifth-highest total in the American League.

* Villanova's James Bell and Temple's Feyonda Fitzgerald were selected as the Big 5 men's and women's players of the week. Bell was named MVP of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, which the 14th-ranked, undefeated Wildcats won. Fitzgerald averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds as the Owls went 1-1 and nearly upset Michigan State.

* Saint Joseph's Ronald Roberts Jr. was named the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week, sharing the award with VCU's Treveon Graham. Roberts averaged 20 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in three games.

* Two players from the University of the Sciences were named players of the week in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference: men's junior forward Garret Kerr and women's guard/forward Camille McPherson. McPherson also is CACC rookie of the week.

* Drexel graduate student Chris Fouch was named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week for his performance at the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden. The Bronx, N.Y., native returned to the Garden for the first time since high school and averaged 24 points as the Dragons defeated Alabama and placed third in the tournament.

* Philadelphia's Danny Garcia will be presented the Ring 8 Fighter of the Year award Sunday at Russo's On The Bay in Howard Beach, N.Y. Garcia, the world junior welterweight champion, is 27-0 with 16 knockouts.

* Temple received what is thought to be its 19th football oral commitment for the class of 2014. The latest addition is Kip Patten, a 6-4, 225-pound running back-tight end from Norristown High School.

* British Olympic diver Tom Daley, 19, said he is in a relationship with a man. Daley won the 10-meter platform gold at the 2009 world championships when he was 15. He took bronze in the same event at last year's London Olympics.