The Detroit Tigers are heading down the final stretch of the season and have their eyes on their second consecutive playoff berth. A sweep of the Houston Astros has the Tigers with a 10-game lead over the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central and the attention has turned from whether they’ll get to October to who they will be facing when they get there.
It’s something that the current players should cherish down the stretch. Getting to play postseason baseball is a privilege and many are still looking for a team to latch onto ahead of October. For one former Tigers All-Star, that opportunity came quickly as he was picked up by an AL contender just three days after his release.
Former Tigers P Michael Fulmer Signs Minor League Deal with Mariners
According to MLB’s transactions log, the Seattle Mariners have signed former Tigers pitcher Michael Fulmer to a minor league contract. The 32-year-old has bounced around this season appearing with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs but was most recently with the Kansas City Royals organization. That stint at Triple-A didn’t go so well, posting a 5.89 ERA in 15 appearances for Omaha and it led to his release on Aug. 16.
It’s tough times for Fulmer, although Tigers fans know what he has in the tank. Fulmer won the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year Award, going 11-7 with a 3.06 ERA in 26 starts. He backed that up with an All-Star campaign in 2017 (10-12, 3.83 ERA) but fell off a cliff during the 2018 season with a 3-12 record and 4.69 ERA.
Fulmer missed the entire 2019 season due to Tommy John surgery and was rocked during the shortened 2020 campaign, allowing 27 earned runs in 27.2 innings. He made a full-time move to the bullpen in 2021 and it extended his career, posting a 2.97 ERA with 14 saves in 2021 and a 3.20 ERA in 39.1 innings before he was traded to the Minnesota Twins at the 2022 trade deadline.
After finishing that year strong with a 3.70 ERA in 24.1 innings and signed with the Chicago Cubs the following winter. After posting a 4.42 ERA in 58 appearances in 2023, Fulmer underwent UCL revision surgery on his pitching elbow, wiping out the entire 2024 season. He signed a minor league deal with the Cubs last winter and is now in Immaculate Grid mode as he heads to Seattle.
The good news is that Fulmer is moving up in the standings. The Mariners currently have a 2.5-game lead over the Royals for the final Wild Card spot and Fulmer could pitch in important games if he earns a spot on the roster. For a Seattle team that has lost seven of its past 10 games, Fulmer is depth at a time when it is critical for success and could have the Mariners battling the Tigers sometime in October.