According to Christopher Smith of masslive.com, the Boston Red Sox have reportedly signed 2017 AL All-Star and 2016 American League Rookie of the Year winner Michael Fulmer to a two-year minor-league contract. If Fulmer is added to the big league roster, his salary in 2024 and 2025 will be $1.5 million each.
Early in his career, while serving as the Detroit Tigers’ starting pitcher, Fulmer showed promise. But in 2021, he began to work as a full-time reliever, and that season, he even recorded 14 saves and a 2.97 ERA while pitching out of the Tigers bullpen.
Despite being traded by the Tigers to the Minnesota Twins during the season, Fulmer maintained his high level of performance as a pitcher in 2022. He pitched for the Chicago Cubs in 2023, but his 4.42 ERA was quite unimpressive. During the offseason, he had elbow surgery, which cast doubt on his ability to exercise his free agency.
It’s hard to argue against the benefits, though. In 2021 and 2022, Fulmer was undoubtedly one of baseball’s more reliable relievers. Yes, his season in 2023 wasn’t the best. However, he is still only in his early 30s and may end up being a key member of Boston’s future.
