The Twins announced they’ve acquired reliever Michael Fulmer from the Tigers. Pitching prospect Sawyer Gipson-Long is headed back to Detroit.
Fulmer is one of the better rental relievers available on the summer market. The 29-year-old has worked to a 3.20 ERA across 39 1/3 innings, his second straight season with strong run prevention. Fulmer’s 23.1% strikeout rate and 11.5% swinging strike percentage are more solid than great, but he’s consistently done an excellent job keeping the ball in the yard.
Minnesota can’t count on Fulmer sustaining this season’s 2.2% HR/FB rate, but he also did well to avoid hard contact last year. He’s induced plenty of infield fly balls over the past couple seasons, and he’s held opposite-handed hitters to a woeful .190/.256/.298 line on the season. That’s no doubt appealing to a Minnesota club that only has Jovani Moran as a left-handed bullpen option with Caleb Thielbar on the injured list.
Fulmer is an impending free agent, so he’s a pure stretch run play with the Twins a game ahead of the Guardians in the AL Central. He’s not as impactful an addition as this morning’s pickup of All-Star closer Jorge López from Baltimore, but he becomes a much-needed extra boost to a relief corps that has been the club’s Achilles heel. Fulmer is making $4.95MM, around $1.8MM of which is still to be paid out.
Detroit picks up a 6’4″ right-hander in the deal. Gipson-Long was a sixth-round pick out of Mercer in 2019. He’s split the year between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita, thriving at the former destination while struggling at the latter. Overall, he owns a 4.23 ERA across 87 1/3 innings with a decent 24.2% strikeout rate and a minuscule 5.3% walk percentage.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported the Twins were acquiring Fulmer. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that Detroit would receive Gipson-Long in return.
Is Billy Eppler sleeping geez smh.
Maybe Megill and Peterson will be a bullpen upgrade. Wishful thinking here
Maybe Megill and Peterson moving to the bullpen is enough of an upgrade. Wishful thinking here
Another guy that I wanted the Jays to get is off the board lol
I agree. I’m worried Shatkins will end up with nothing.
They will be spewing off valuation chatter. I just hate those corporate knobs.
Sad day for us Tigers fans. 🙁
Sad day for Tribe fans; Fulmer pitched last night like he had already been dealt to the Twins.
I was hoping for something more than a 24 yr old A ball pitcher back.
Why? Fulmer has struggled his last few appearances. Last night was an excellent example.
You expect a top prospect for 3 months of Fulmer? He’s a nice set up man but it’s only 3 months. Were you expecting Ohtani???
@stathead
Al, is that you? Tell us again how you couldn’t get anything for JD Martinez, Justin Verlander, Matt Boyd and now Fulmer.
Absolutely inexcusable
misunderestimated—history repeats itself.
I’ll be a little happier if he’s only wearing a Twins uniform for the remainder of the season and doesn’t sign with a division rival next season.
Jays fan I wanted him
All Twins All The Time……
They’re doing what Cardinals fans thought their team would be doing. (whining to follow).
@Samuel: Not a Twins fan, but impressed. If you’re gonna gear up for a playoff run, pitching additions are the logical move. Yes? What a day for Minnesota. IE. a starter, closer and reliever coup.
Twins just spiking the football off Rick Hahn’s head.
Sure is different than getting Bregman or Turner back…
Gipson has been tearing it up this season, albeit at A+, but still… there is promise. This is about what I expected them to get for Fulmer. The other relievers they deal should bring similar low level prospects… Al Avila is an expert in acquiring long shots.
Al is an expert in failure.
It is malfeasance that he’s still masquerading as a GM
Absolutely clueless. Apparently has a new front office for better scouting and evaluations and yet nothing close to major league ready in return. Thanks Al….for nothing….clown.
Al shouldn’t have even been allowed to handle this trade deadline.
Tearing it up at A+ but at AA not so much. At 24, doesn’t seem too promising to me, Long shot is right.
He’s not even a top 30 prospect in the Twins organization so the only thing he’s tearing up is used bus tickets and hotel receipts. What a terrible trade for the Tigers
Fulmer needed to go either way. I’d just assume they keep chafin and hope he picks up the option if the return isn’t better than this though.
Fulmer walks 4.6 per 9 innings. Another Joely Rodriguez. Good pass by the Mets.
Gipson-Long has an almost 8 ERA in double A
Looks like another great Al Avila trade. This guy is 24 and has a 7 ERA in AA. Ugh.
So Gibson-Long has been used almost exclusively as a starter in the minors. K’s >1 per inning and a WHIP <1. per inning.
Looks like a bullpen arm in the making. Not a horrible return for a guy who was gone anyway.
Of the 4 RP rumored to be available by the Tigers, Fulmer, Soto, Jimenez and Chafin I felt Fulmer was the absolutely least likely to resign with the Tigers and the least valuable of the 4. Chafin appears to be an opt out guy, but fingers crossed he sticks around for the 2nd year of his deal.
Soto is still arb eligible. He'll be back.
Tigers can concentrate on resigning Jimenez and I suspect he'll be receptive.
That’s his A+ stats. AA hasn’t been working out as well for him this season.
As a starter. Maybe in 1 inning, 20 pitch outings he’ll click,
Fulmer was gone anyway.
So we just accept that Al couldn’t get anything for him?
The Tigers would have been better off holding onto Fulmer vs this nothing of a prospect. What a terrible trade! And to the Twins yet! UGH!!!
Al is an idiot… pure and simple.
Remember when the Tigers wanted an absolute haul for Fulmer like 5 years ago? Good times.
Tigers never tried to trade Fulmer when he was a starter. All the big markets wanted them to. Just never happened. He was the return that got Dombrowski fired and began the rebuild.
You would think Fulmer would fetch more than this. One position the Twins are good at developing is pitching. Maybe he will turn out good.
The best thing about trading a F.A. pitcher is, they don’t have to gone forever. So it sounds like they’ll have Chafin again next year, thank god Canada has the shot mandate. No Constitution, and all shot, what a hoot.
Detroit has a myriad of problems, and trading a bull pen piece won’t matter much.
Only a game out of 1st and the season is over for the Guardians.
Jorge Lopez trade B- / C+
( U Take Povich out and it’s an A with Haijjar , Festa or SGL as replacent)
Mahle trade. A- ..Spencer steer could be good and C.E.S. could be votto lite there
Leon trade …inc.
Fullmer trade. D+ I don’t care for him much anyways and Sawyer Gibson Long has a real good shot to be an mlb #4 starter in the long term
He’s already 24. What “long term” are you referring to? When’s he going to make the majors–27?
So many bad takes in this post, I don’t even know what to say.
You can have him back if you want give us a position player instead lmao
A for twins. This seems like the best reliever for weakest prospect ratio. A reliever at this cost is something I would target. Tremendous value.
shameful trade. might as well kept him. Avila needs a new line of work
I’ve stuck up for AA many, many times. I cannot see the logic here. It would have been better to keep him than acquiring an almost 25 year old pitching “prospect” when the pitching cupboard overflows and the obvious need is position players. Dealt away a premier arm for nothing that is going to help this club…..ever.
This is where AA lost me.
He didn’t get a single position player…Made two trades, got two longshot pitching prospects. I don’t get it, either.
There’s tons more pitchers than hitters.
Al needs checked for dementia
The logic is get something for him, or get nothing for him. He chose something.
Would have made far more sense to keep him.
Yup. Kind of interesting that Chafin wasn’t traded.
I think Avila got a better return for Grossman.
Well he is a gross man and that is worth something.
Great move! This is a guy they need to look hard at keeping around for awhile! He is a good pitcher with starting experience if needed. This is very solid, twins pitching staff definitely improved at this deadline. They got some high end talent that fit their budget restraints. That’s what you want to do, that is worth the prospects.
Avila tried to wait for great offer…ended up with nothing….Jays gave up a top prospect for 2 relievers of less skill then Fulmer and Jimenez….Time for Avila to be FIRED
Nice get for the Twins. He already knows most of the hitters he’ll face. Cost a good low A/ high A prospect. About right for a rental. That being said he’s been really good so far. Could end up a good trade for both teams
Fire Avila please!!!!
I hope he gets the win tonight vs the motorcitykitties !!
I’m fairly certain the Tigers will face him this afternoon. The Twins burned through their bullpen arms last night.
The trade deadline was only a salary dump for the Tigers.
Don’t blame Avila, he’s doing what the owners wants.
Good thing thet can ban people from posting.
I have.nothing civil.to say anymore…..