Morning Rundown: Pirates sign Carson Fulmer, Busy day in NL Central
A couple of significant trades in the NL Central, Pirates sign pitcher to minor league deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed another free agent on Friday, adding right-handed pitcher Carson Fulmer on a minor league deal that also comes with an invite to major league spring training.
Fulmer, 31, was a former top 10 pick back in 2012 out of Vanderbilt. He spent some time in the Pirates organization but never played a game.
He pitched pretty well out of the bullpen for the Los Angeles Angels this past season. Fulmer posted a 4.15 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 86.2 innings pitched. He made 37 appearances, eight of which were starts.
Although he went 0-5, he was still worth about a win above replacement (0.8 bWAR) and had a 101 ERA+.
The Milwaukee Brewers made a trade on Friday, sending former All-Star closer Devin Williams to the New York Yankees in exchange for Nester Cortes and Caleb Durbin.
Williams is in his last season before free agency, so the Brewers traded him like they did Corbin Burnes the year prior. He has a 27-10 record, recording 68 saves while posting a 1.83 ERA, striking out 375 batters in 235.2 innings pitched.
Milwaukee added a pair of players with the ability to help out immediately. Cortes pitched a career-high 174.1 innings while posting a 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA (3.1 fWAR).
Durbin swiped 29 bases in 82 games last year in Triple-A for the Yankees. He also broke the record for most steals in the Arizona Fall League. He’s a contact-oriented hitter who walked (47) more than he struck out (37) in 375 plate appearances.
Milwaukee wasn’t the only team that made moves in the NL Central. The Chicago Cubs acquired Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros in exchange for Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith, and Hayden Wesneski.
Tucker is one of the best outfielders in baseball and is set to be a free agent at the end of the season. He hit 23 home runs in less than half the season after dealing with injuries.
He finished one home run shy of a 30/30 season in 2023 and has two other 30-home-run campaigns on his resume. Tucker is a career .274/.353/.516 with 125 home runs and 94 stolen bases.
Paredes, 25, hit 19 home runs with the Rays and Cubs in 2024. Wesneski posted a 3.86 ERA (3.93 xFIP) with 67 strikeouts in 67.2 innings pitched. Smith was the first-round pick for the Cubs in 2024 and got off to a blazing start to his pro career.
He batted .313/.396/.609 with seven home runs and 24 RBI.
The Pirates hired Miguel Perez as the team’s new bullpen coach. He’s been the Triple-A manager for the past three seasons. The team has been searching for a new bullpen coach since letting go of Justin Meccage after the season ended.
They also brought in Brent Strom as the assistant pitching coach this offseason.
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I find that Tucker trade compelling, Houston gets a fine young mlb producing player, a serviceable swingman reliever (nothing special but fine), and a super duper high end prospect for a serious, though limited controlled, mlb star in his prime... Im on the Houston side, but i'm not capable of trading prospects, PDS🤷♂️🤦♂️😥🤷♂️
The Pirates are quietly going about building a strong nucleus of Middle of the Order Hitters to complement a Top 5 MLB Rotation. Reynolds and Cruz led the way in 2024 and adding Spencer Horwitz solidifies the order. If Matt Hague can get IKF to become the bat he was at Toronto, that adds another solid contributor at SS. Endy Rodriguez, before his injury, was a solid .268/.356/.415/.771 OPS, with an 11.4% BB/14.9% SO rate at AAA in 2024. He's been an excellent hitter ever since we got him from the Mets.
What do we get from Ke'Bryan Hayes who is signed for pennies for the next 5 years plus an Option year? Can he return to 2024 form? What do we have in Nick Yorke? I am sure we will have a Nick at second base - which one? Can Jack Suwinski return to 2024 Slugging of .454? What do we get from Billy Cook? Can Sammy Siani take that confidence from the AFL to AAA?
If the Pirates do not sign anybody else, I think there is enough talent in place right now to finish 10 above .500 rather than 10 below! If this group can come together, and Hague can maintain IKF and Horwitz at their Jays numbers and break through with Suwinski and others, then there is hope!
I thought going into the off season that we would see at least 3 MI's and 3 Pitchers involved in trades. We have met the number of Pitchers in one trade, but we still have a small boatload of MI's we can offer. Nobody asking?