Red Sox add Reliever Michael Fulmer (Out until 2025)
- Thread starter SouthernBoSox
- Start date
Gotta be a minor league deal with a ‘25 option or something, he’s out for 2024 after UCL revision surgery.
https://apnews.com/article/michael-fulmer-cubs-elbow-surgery-827be5f730f3f69abe61a012d4cb07f2
He's set to miss all of 2024 after elbow surgery, so another Paxton-like signing albeit with less upside. Not going to move the needle at all for 2024.
View: https://twitter.com/JesseRogersESPN/status/1715032698769780840?s=20
View: https://twitter.com/JesseRogersESPN/status/1715032698769780840?s=20
Seems to reinforce the notion Breslow and Co are literally scouring the earth for decent arms. No idea if it works out (how could I?) but I like it.
Fulmer was a steady arm at Detroit, last time I saw him. However this deal, put on the shelf until 2025, is another testimony Boston is essentially mailing it in for 2024.
Nah, you could make an argument in this direction if they'd signed him in December and he had been clogging a 40 man spot the whole time, but signing him this week means he can go right onto the 60 day IL on the 14th (and they don't have to make the signing official until then) and it doesn't affect anything else.
Edit: It's a minor league deal so the 40 man isn't even a factor.
Yeah, this doesn’t prevent them from doing anything bigger. Which is not to say that they will. But if they don’t, it’s not because of this.
I don't know where these incremental deals are going. But hope MGT is not spending all their energy on these smaller minor league deals, when a more relevant pitching presence is begging. It just seems that at this point they are waiting ... and waiting for a big pitcher value willing to take a high salary- 1 year deal. And that would further explain the 'dream of the 2025 Sox.'
It's a 2 year minor league deal. Good signing IMO.... see what he can do in 2025. Former rookie of the year. Starter the first three yeas then a reliever the last three years. Good signing looking toward 2025.
Or, they've read the market well, understood that there were more SP seeking 9-figure deals than there were teams looking to offer them, and are waiting for Montgomery or Snell to accept an 8-figure deal.
It's pretty wild that on Feb. 8 Boras still has all of Snell, Monty, Bellinger and Matt Chapman on his hands.
Considering there are still a few of those "big pitchers" still out there, it's difficult to conclude that if they're waiting for the cost to come down (whether it's a one year deal or not), they're not wrong yet.
This Fulmer deal feels like a walking and chewing gum at the same time sort of thing. They sign him with an eye toward 2025 without at all impacting their pursuit to improve the 2024 roster.
A summary of Boras clients who waited to sign, with the trend being the majority of those players got a lesser deal than was anticipated at the start of free agency:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/boras-clients-who-signed-after-january-in-previous-offseasons.html
That’s oddly comforting. Dragging this all out every year, while certainly a valid choice and seemingly good marketing, is just kind of a dick move so schadenfreude when it backfires.
I don’t wish employment challenges on anyone, but the players are all making many millions in these scenarios regardless so no real hardships involved.