Washington Nationals: Michael Fulmer makes a lot of sense

As the Washington Nationals look to fill the 5th starter void, we look at why a trade for Tigers Starter Michael Fulmer could make a lot of sense.

One of the main takeaways from the Washington Nationals off-season so far has been they are keen to add another starting pitcher. Be it via free agency or via a trade. One option, Chris Archer, who we’ve written about previously, could be a target. But another option that could come slightly cheaper, and could be a better fit, is Michael Fulmer.

The Detroit Tigers acquired him in 2015 from the New York Mets, as the centerpiece of the Yoenis Cespedes trade. Then, after a Rookie of the Year campaign in 2016, Fulmer followed it up with an All-Star appearance last season.

The Deer Creek High School product has solid career ratios with a 3.45 ERA and 1.137 WHIP. Making him a top-to-middle of the rotation option right now, with the potential to be an ace down the line.

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Fulmer fits the profile perfectly of the type of player Mike Rizzo would give up some of the precious prospects for. Young, club controlled for a long time, and will build on a rotation that already has the building blocks to be a force in the National League.

Right now the Tigers appear to be in rebuild mode, with recent trades for Ian Kinsler, Justin Upton and Justin Verlander, making it pretty clear they don’t intend to contend anytime soon. Nobody is safe from being traded, especially if a decent haul can be had from a controllable starter like Fulmer.

Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Yankees were looking at Michael Fulmer. Meaning that the Tigers are willing to listen, and I think the Washington Nationals should be investigating the possibility.

What would a trade for Fulmer look like?

This is the question whenever it comes to making a high profile deal, how much is it going to cost?

With Fulmer not even having hit arbitration yet, and five years of control, it would be hefty. I’d compare it to when the Nationals traded for Gio Gonzalez before the 2012 season. Back then, the price was A.J. Cole, Derek Norris, Brad Peacock and Tommy Milone.

At the time, it was the Nationals’ two best pitching prospects, based on the Baseball America list from 2012 (Cole and Peacock), plus a pretty solid catching prospect in Norris. Milone wasn’t considered to be too valuable. So quite the haul.

Back to the present day.

Say the Nats were willing to give up Juan Soto as the main piece. They’d have the makings of a deal already.

The rest depends on what the Tigers are looking for. It could be conceivable that they’d like a young left-hander to complement the plethora of right-handers they have in their system. So Seth Romero could be an ideal secondary piece, able to make his way to the majors in double-quick time.

Add in a mid-level hitting prospect such as Kelvin Gutierrez or Osvaldo Abreu, and you might be pretty close to a tempting package for Detroit to look at. This is all speculation at this point, but I don’t think anybody would be expecting Fulmer on the cheap.

Next: Lack of pitching depth troubling

I still expect Rizzo and the Washington Nationals to make a move for a starting pitcher, and they would be foolish to not have at least scoped out Fulmer at this point.

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