Former Cubs pitcher Michael Fulmer returns to Cubs

Kamil Krzaczynski - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 20 hours ago

It only took three weeks into the regular season for the Chicago Cubs to go on a free agent frenzy, as Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins continue to address their roster. While most of these moves will be Minor League moves for the foreseeable future, a move is a move, and all moves aim to add depth and improve their roster.

Wednesday afternoon saw the Cubs not only make another move to address their pitching depth but also bring in a familiar face. RHP Michael Fulmer and the Chicago Cubs have come together on a Minor League deal. The 32-year-old Fulmer was signed to a one-year deal with the Cubs before the 2023 season to be their closer.

That never panned out for Fulmer, as a rocky April saw him lose his closer job and be pushed into the seventh and eighth inning roles. Take away April, and Fulmer was a solid option for the Cubs that season until his elbow popped, leading to a season-ending Tommy John. That also saw him miss the entirety of the 2024 season, as Fulmer knew that 2025 would be his comeback attempt.

With that came the limited Major League deals, as he signed a Minor League deal with the Red Sox. After showing he has something left in the tank in AAA, the Red Sox called him up a few weeks ago as they needed some extra arms in their pen. Unfortunately for Fulmer, his one appearance came as the mop-up man for the Tanner Houck implosion outing, and after eating 2.2 innings of “wear it” ball, the Red Sox let Fulmer go.

This was one of those situations where once he was called up, he couldn't be sent back down, so the Red Sox felt the easiest way to get around that was to release him. Once that happened, Fulmer had the option to sign with any team that he wanted, and he ultimately chose the Cubs. He is now back on a Minor League deal.

Another situation where the Cubs are hoping one team's trash can be another team's treasure, the Cubs know Fulmer well enough to know what he has left in the tank and if he can make a difference for this team. Initially a starter when he first broke into the League, Fulmer had mixed results despite posting consecutive double-digit win seasons.

During his three years as a full-time starter, Fulmer went 24-31 with an ERA slightly over 4.10. Not what you would consider a dominant starter, but certainly a pitcher you could throw out there every fifth day with the hopes of doing the job. It was before 2021 when Fulmer moved to the pen, as that not only saved his career but proved to be an excellent move for the Detroit Tigers at the time.

Once that move was made, Fulmer saw his fastball velocity tick up from 93 MPH to 95 MPH while his 85 MPH slider was still his best pitch. His command also improved significantly, as that was one of his most significant issues as a starter. Fulmer has posted an ERA in the 3.70 range as a reliever, logging 19 saves and close to 70 holds.

He was what you would call a middle-to-late-inning arm that was not only dependable but also reliable. Knowing his connection to the Cubs organization and seeing what he did in the Red Sox organization, it's clear that he is well past his injury and appears to be trending in the right direction. It will be interesting to see how that comes together in Chicago, especially with some of the bullpen issues.