MLB Rumours: Yankees, Rangers eyeing Michael Fulmer?

The New York Yankees trade rumours are far from over. In fact, they are just starting to heat up. So far this offseason, the Yankees have made the biggest splash by acquiring Giancarlo Stanton. However, it seems like general manager Brian Cashman is still ready to wheel and deal.

CBS Sports indicates via Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that the Yankees are eyeing a Detroit Tigers starting pitcher, Michael Fulmer. Detroit gave away three-quarters of their stars last season in what turned out to be a massive fire sale in Motown.

Source: Yankees have RHP Michael Fullmer of the Tigers as a potential trade target. Fullmer still has five years of club control; would bring back nice haul for Detroit. @BNightengale first to mention Yankees/Fullmer connection.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 12, 2017

The Tigers have let the entire baseball world know that they are in serious rebuilding mode and could very well be one of baseball's worst teams heading into the 2018 season, but is trading a young stud like Fulmer wise?

At only 24 years of age, the ceiling for Fulmer is very high, and he is locked up for quite a while if the Tigers keep him. Fulmer will not be a free agent until after the 2022 season. So why in the world would the Tigers consider trading him? The upside is that right now, Fulmer is a hot commodity and has the most trade value for the Tigers.

While the Yankees are very interested in acquiring Fulmer at the moment, they are not alone. The Texas Rangers have also been linked to trying to acquire Fulmer as well. Detroit general manager Al Avila said that he has heard from multiple teams, with New York and Texas at the top of the list, about an asking price for the hard-throwing right-hander, but he also indicated that they aren't actively trying to trade him.

Last season, Fulmer finished with a 10-12 record, a 3.83 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 164 and two-thirds innings. Those numbers don’t particularly jump off the table for most fans, but they also don’t reflect how good Fulmer pitched either.

Fulmer was the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year and he finished 10th overall in the Cy Young race.