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Washington Nationals: Five possible starting pitching trade targets

By Monty Taylor

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 11: General manager Mike Rizzo of the Washington Nationals looks on during batting practice against the St. Louis Cardinals during Game Four of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 11, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 11: General manager Mike Rizzo of the Washington Nationals looks on during batting practice against the St. Louis Cardinals during Game Four of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 11, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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Washington Nationals Michael Fulmer
DETROIT, MI – JUNE 14: Michael Fulmer #32 of the Detroit Tigers pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the second inning at Comerica Park on June 14, 2018, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

Michael Fulmer

Detroit Tigers youngster Michael Fulmer is an interesting possibility for the Washington Nationals.

Despite being only 25 and still 5 years from free agency, he’s frequently been mentioned in trade rumors. The Tigers are in a rebuilding mode, and Fulmer provides them with a valuable asset that could be traded for a large return.

The former Rookie of the Year is 3-8 in 2018 with an ERA of 4.11, which is significantly higher than his first two seasons in the league. He’s not as much of a strikeout pitcher as the previous names in this list, but still averages 7.6 strikeouts per 9 innings.

This is a young pitcher with tremendous upside. There normally aren’t many opportunities for teams to add a young pitcher with this much potential mid-season. And for him to be so far from arbitration is another added bonus.

Acquiring the twenty-five-year-old would be both a short-term and long-term solution for Mike Rizzo. He’d add a potential front-line starter in Fulmer to partner with Scherzer and Strasburg atop the Nationals’ rotation for the next three and a half seasons.

To get Fulmer, the Nationals would have to at least center a deal around Carter Kieboom and include another big prospect like Daniel Johnson. The Tigers would probably request another player or prospect who is MLB ready.

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