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Yankees Trade Rumors: Michael Fulmer, Patrick Corbin Targeted by New York
December 12, 2017
The New York Yankees reportedly have their eyes on starting pitching as Major League Baseball's winter meetings continue.
On Tuesday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the Bronx Bombers are "trying to swing a trade for a starter" and are specifically targeting Michael Fulmer of the Detroit Tigers and Patrick Corbin of the Arizona Diamondbacks with early trade discussions.
The Yankees already made waves this offseason when they traded for slugger Giancarlo Stanton and added his prodigious power to a lineup already featuring Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, but bolstering their pitching staff would help them take the next step after falling one victory short of a World Series appearance thanks to a Game 7 loss in the American League Championship Series.
According to ESPN.com, New York was fifth in the league in 2017 with a starting pitching ERA of 3.98. Adding someone like Fulmer or Corbin to a group with Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka and Sonny Gray would make the rotation even more dangerous in the American League East.
Fulmer was the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year with a 3.06 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 159 innings. He followed up with an All-Star appearance in 2017 behind a 3.83 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 114 strikeouts in 164.2 innings.
Corbin was an All-Star in 2013 but struggled some the last two years, posting a 5.15 ERA in 2016 and a 4.03 ERA in 2017. He is still just 28 years old, though, and would not be counted on as a front-of-the-line starter, meaning trading for him could be worth the risk from New York's point of view in case he rediscovers his old form.
