Cubs agree to deal with reliever Michael Fulmer

Less than a week before pitchers and catchers report for spring training, the Cubs are adding to their bullpen.

The Cubs and free agent right-hander Michael Fulmer agreed to a contract, sources confirmed. The terms of the deal, which is pending a physical, were not immediately clear.

His addition gives the Cubs another option at the back end of the bullpen, an area left thin by trades at last year’s deadline.

“That’s just an area you never feel totally comfortable no matter what, just given the volatility of it,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said last month at Cubs Convention. “Are we looking to add guys? Yes. But I do feel comfortable that we’re getting more and more arms; I think we have a lot of guys that can fill that role.”

Fulmer, 29, found success early in his career as a starter, winning American League Rookie of the Year in 2016 and becoming an All-Star the next year. But those accolades were tainted by injury, including a series of elbow operations.

In 2021, Fulmer’s first season as a reliever, he posted a career-best 2.97 ERA and 14 saves with the Tigers. Last season, which he split between Detroit and Minnesota, Fulmer regressed some, as his walk rate rose to 10.1%. Still, he entered free agency this winter among the higher rated non-closer relievers on the market.

The Cubs have gotten by without signing a bonafide closer in recent years, instead helping veterans bounce back into more prominent roles. During the club’s rebuild, it traded those veteran relievers on short-term contracts midseason for young players and prospects.