Phillies rumors: Final 3 free agents Dave Dombrowski should sign
By Tim Boyle
2) The Phillies can finalize their bullpen by signing Michael Fulmer
It does seem like the Phillies will hold onto Jose Alvarado for another year and pair him with Strahm as the other lefty. This could take them out of the running for Andrew Chafin. It doesn’t mean they’re done adding to the bullpen quite yet. The roster does have several guys with minor league options available. Replacing one of those roster spots with a surer thing can have great benefits. Someone they should be looking at hard right now is Michael Fulmer.
Fulmer’s career has been an exciting ride. He was traded from the New York Mets to the Detroit Tigers in the summer of 2015 for Yoenis Cespedes. The next season, he won American League Rookie of the Year. Then came the injuries which completely changed the trajectory of his career. He missed time. He struggled.
The Tigers eventually put him in the bullpen where the 29-year-old has been for the past two seasons almost exclusively. He was traded again last year, this time to the Minnesota Twins. He has hit the open market for the first time this offseason and fits the pedigree of what the Phillies have done with their bullpen last year and now this.
Fulmer does have closer experience. He saved 14 games for the 2021 Tigers. Three more were added in 2022 to his resume. Fulmer is a late-inning guy and insurance in case the Kimbrel signing is a bust. Age is on his side. The Phillies can land a reliever for two or three seasons to help build up a better bullpen for more than a single season.