The Detroit Tigers are reportedly receiving interest in ace Michael Fulmer. Would it make sense for the rebuilding Tigers to move him?
Last summer, the Detroit Tigers officially entered into a new era and traded away many of their veteran players. With the Winter Meetings now here, some are interested to see if the Tigers might make more trades. One player who has been mentioned in trade rumors for quite a while now is second baseman Ian Kinsler.
There is trade speculation surrounding Tigers besides Kinsler as well. Per George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press, while the team does not appear to be actively shopping ace Michael Fulmer, GM Al Avila has indicated that they are open to listening to offers. Fulmer was mentioned in trade rumors over the summer as well.
Back in 2016, Fulmer won the AL Rookie of the Year award after going 11-7 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP through 26 starts. He had another nice season last year, going 10-12 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in 25 starts. He made the first All-Star team of his career in 2017 as well. His season came to an early end after he underwent an elbow procedure in September.
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Teams are interested
Nonetheless, teams have reportedly begun showing interest in the 24 year old righty. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports, the New York Yankees are eyeing Fulmer as they look to restock their pitching staff. Meanwhile, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Texas Rangers are also looking at the right-hander. According to Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press; however, the Rangers’ talks with the Tigers have not yet gained much traction.
The New York #Yankees, trying to swing a trade for a starter, have #Tigers Michael Fulmer and #Dbacks Patrick Corbin on their radar in early talks
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 12, 2017
Hearing that Rangers have, indeed, been among the teams that have checked in on Michael Fulmer. Not surprising. He checks all boxes, though there is some medical risk. And he’d probably be expensive in trade talks, so lot of complexity to anything getting traction https://t.co/7YnrxFlyX1
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) December 12, 2017
The Rangers' talks with the Tigers about Michael Fulmer haven't gone far, I'm told.
— anthony fenech (@anthonyfenech) December 13, 2017
Does Trading Fulmer Make Sense?
One can imagine that Fulmer, who remains under team control 2022, could land the Tigers an impressive package of prospects. However, if Detroit is to deal Fulmer, it could also leave the starting rotation in very rough shape heading into the 2018 season.
Right now, one could make the argument that Fulmer, who has been worth a total of 6.5 fWAR over the past two seasons, is the only starter that the Tigers can truly depend on. As it currently stands, Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, Jordan Zimmermann and newcomer Mike Fiers appear poised to make up the remaining 80 percent of the starting rotation. All four pitchers had an ERA of over 5.00 last season.
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Although most are not expecting the Tigers to contend for a few years anyway, they might be wise to keep their ace — at least for the time being.