Philadelphia Phillies: Top 5 bullpen trade targets, per MLB Trade Rumors
By David Esser
Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers
The #13 player on MLBTR’s list, Michael Fulmer actually intrigues me quite greatly. A former Rookie of the Year and All-Star starter for the Detroit Tigers, Fulmer has been converted into a bit of a hybrid long-man/spot starter here in 2021. He currently boasts a 3.34 ERA across 35.0 innings, making four appearances as a starter and 16 as a reliever.
Fulmer is only 28 years old and is under team control through the 2022 season, which as mentioned repeatedly throughout this article, makes Fulmer exactly the type of arm worth targeting at this year’s deadline.
Despite rostering guys like Vince Velasquez, Matt Moore, and Chase Anderson, the Philadelphia Phillies should still very much be in the market for some sort of #6 starter/long-man. Continuing to rely on anyone of these guys feels like a recipe for disaster, especially if we’re talking about making a run at things in 2022.
Trading for Fulmer and sticking him in the bullpen would be fine, but also using him in a “piggyback” role alongside someone like Velasquez or Anderson could work in the short-term. I’m a fan of more frequently relying on piggybacking to win ball games – the more guys on the staff who can stretch out over 2-3 innings the better.