3 trade deadline arms Dodgers can target to replace Blake Treinen

2. Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers

We asked about a Dodgers-Michael Fulmer trade this offseason. We asked about a Dodgers-Michael Fulmer trade in summer 2021. We even put together a Fulmer package for Andrew Friedman, in case he was having trouble preparing one.

With Fulmer’s walk year on the horizon, the plummeting Tigers have more incentive than ever to move him, and the burly right-hander is returning the favor by getting results.

Through his first 11 outings, Fulmer has posted a 1.59 ERA and racked up 0.5 WAR, otherwise known as a “Double 2021 Bellinger.” He’s whiffed only eight, but has responded by keeping men off the bases, sporting an 0.971 WHIP and impressive 2.98 FIP (though that estimate indicates he’ll likely regress just a bit).

The 29-year-old mound gruntsman struggled to regain his form as a starting pitcher after an All-Star 2017 season, but after he fell into a regression hole, we’ve now got a track record of solid relief dating back to Opening Day 2021. He’s even fixed his men-on-base bugaboo thus far in 2022.

Considering how few relievers with a half-year of control should be available at the 2022 deadline, competition for Fulmer could be fierce. If the Dodgers still need someone who can match Treinen’s stuff and attitude, though, the ex-Tiger could be their target if Detroit continues to free fall and evoke trade articles from the recent past.