Detroit Tigers: Yankees scout in attendance as Michael Fulmer starts

It would take a big offer for the Detroit Tigers to trade starting pitcher Michael Fulmer but that didn’t stop the Yankees from sending a scout to watch.

As the calendar gets ready to flip from June to July the Detroit Tigers and teams around Major League Baseball will start to see their trade deadline plans come into focus. The Tigers have been more competitive this season than some predicted but that should not have an impact on how the Tigers approach this trade deadline. With a proper long-term view, there is no reason to entertain the thought of anything other than moving players who don’t have a long-term place in the organization’s vision for assets that might.

That makes looking to deal players like Leonys Martin and Francisco Liriano an easy decision. The more difficult decision comes in deciding what to do with players like Nicholas Castellanos and Michael Fulmer. Both have turned into quality Major Leaguer players and are young enough to be part of core group of players that help bring the Tigers back into contention.

But that doesn’t mean either one should be untouchable – it just means the Tigers have options.

If a trade market develops such that the Tigers could get a treasure trove of prospects in return, it would make sense to take the hit now and pull the trigger. But, if the market is soft and the Tigers don’t see an ability to turn one Fulmer of today into two Fulmers (figuratively speaking) for tomorrow, there is no urgency to make a deal.

Is there a team out there willing to pony up to make a run at Fulmer. That remains to be seen but there appears to be at least one team interested in doing some due diligence. According to Anthony Fenech, Tigers beat writer at the Detroit Free Press, the New York Yankees have sent a scout to Detroit with Fulmer on the mound today.

Fulmer is a rare trade candidate given the success he’s already had at the Major League level and the fact that his has four years of club control remaining. That means he represents a bargain for his team, provided he stays healthy, prior to his first crack at free agency in 2023.

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A good young pitcher with that many controllable years doesn’t come across the trade block often and when they do, they command a premium in return to get a deal done. In the case of Fulmer, the Tigers should be perfectly happy to hold on to him if such a return doesn’t materialize.