MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees’ Jacoby Ellsbury & Tigers’ Michael Fulmer Among Top Targets?
With the World Series having just wrapped up, baseball fans are still looking into MLB trade rumors that could help their teams towards next year’s title. Two players who have recently popped up in speculation are New York Yankees player Jacoby Ellsbury and Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Michael Fulmer. Could either of these MLB players be on the move for the next baseball season?
In a recent report from NJ.com website, it’s mentioned that Jacoby Ellsbury could be on the move with the Seattle Mariners as his potential destination. Ellsbury spent his first six seasons in the league with the Boston Red Sox before becoming a free agent in 2013. The Yankees picked him up at the time with expectations he could add some depth to their young, talented roster, and he’s been a part of the New York lineup ever since. However, this recent postseason left a lot to be desired for both the Yankees and Ellsbury.
As FanRagSports noted in their report, Ellsbury had a disappointing postseason in which he was just 0-for-9 in nine total at bats. He was also out of the lineup during the Yankees’ American League Championship Series versus the Houston Astros. Aaron Hicks took over for him but didn’t do a whole lot, leaving the Yankees in a bit of a conundrum. Ellsbury has a $153 million seven-year deal with the Yankees with just three years remaining.
The New York Yankees have a strong core of players and don’t seem to need Ellsbury quite as much on the roster. Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, and Aaron Judge have certainly proven their worth in helping this team achieve a level of success that most fans weren’t necessarily expecting this quickly. The Seattle Mariners or another team trying to achieve similar success by getting into the postseason, or deeper into it, could be suitors for Ellsbury.
One other baseball star to keep an eye on during the ongoing MLB trade rumors is Detroit Tigers pitcher Michael Fulmer. As Fansided‘s Ben Rosener pointed out this past week, the Tigers have a handful of their players as possible trade material, but their young star pitcher stands out. However, it’s also noted that Fulmer is recovering from surgery after an injury and that he’s also the top starter this rebuilding Tigers team has in their rotation now. Still, Fulmer is considered one of their strongest “trade chips” this offseason.
From #OpeningDayDET through the All-Star Game, @MFulmer12 had another memorable season. https://t.co/dCKhGPk1AJ
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) November 2, 2017
For the 2017 MLB season, he went 10-12 with a 3.83 ERA and 114 strikeouts. It’s not surprising that this young ace is on several teams’ radars including the aforementioned New York Yankees who might be looking to give their bullpen a boost. Also mentioned as interested in Fulmer are the Washington Nationals, another team that made the playoffs this past season but failed to get as deep as they had wanted to.
[Featured Image by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images]