Pirates’ latest trade puts an impossible baseball oddity to rest (for now)

The Pittsburgh Pirates have finally done it. After years of somehow finding their way back to Carson Fulmer, the organization has traded the veteran right-hander to the Seattle Mariners, bringing one of the strangest recurring storylines in recent franchise history to an end — at least for now.

If it feels like Fulmer has been around the Pirates forever, that's because he basically has. The former No. 8 overall pick has now been acquired by Pittsburgh four separate times during his professional career. Four.

And yet, despite all of those transactions, roster shuffles and organizational reunions, Fulmer never once appeared in a Major League game for the Pirates.

It's impressive, really. Most players acquired once never make it to the big leagues with a team. Some get acquired twice after bouncing around the waiver wire. But four separate acquisitions without ever throwing a pitch in a Pirates uniform? That's the kind of statistical trivia question that feels completely made up until you realize it actually happened.

The latest chapter came this offseason when Fulmer signed a minor-league deal with Pittsburgh after spending 2025 with the Los Angeles Angels. The 32-year-old provided organizational depth at Triple-A Indianapolis, where the results were mixed.

His 6.35 ERA across 16 appearances doesn't inspire much confidence, though the underlying numbers suggest he may have deserved a bit better luck. A .330 batting average on balls in play and a strand rate of just 63 percent certainly didn't do him any favors. Still, his strikeout rate dipped below league average, and he never emerged as a realistic option for a Pirates bullpen that desperately needed reliable answers.

Pirates trade Carson Fulmer to Mariners, but don't be surprised if he eventually finds his way back to Pittsburgh

Now Fulmer will head to Seattle, likely in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later. The full details of the trade have not yet been announced by either team.

For the Pirates, the move barely registers on the competitive scale. Fulmer wasn't on the 40-man roster and wasn't projected to impact the Major League club this season. But it does close the book on one of baseball's weirdest organizational relationships.

Some players become franchise legends. Others become fan favorites. Fulmer became the player the Pirates could never quit acquiring, yet never actually use.

Of course, this is baseball, where the improbable tends to happen more often than anyone expects. Given the history here, nobody should be shocked if Fulmer eventually finds his way back to Pittsburgh for a fifth time. At this point, it almost feels inevitable.

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