Pirates reunite with former White Sox first-rounder on minor-league deal

A few days after the Pirates made a significant trade for Spencer Horwitz, they got right back to replenishing their depleted minor league system. They have made moves all offseason, signing veterans to minor league contracts, and it keeps adding up with another one on Friday night.

Robert Murray reported on X that the Pirates agreed to terms with Carson Fulmer on a minor league contract. The veteran right-hander was once a Pirate, but never actually pitched with the team. He was claimed off waivers twice in 2020, but designated for assignment both times.

This time around though, Ben Cherington appears to have slightly more interest in the veteran, as he signed him to a deal where he can compete in spring training and be available in the minor leagues if the team needs to make a depth move. At this moment, he is not on the 40-man roster.

Pirates reportedly sign Carson Fulmer to a minor-league contract after solid stint with Angels.

The former eighth overall pick put together a solid season in 2024, but still has a lot to prove before he can get a shot in the Pirates bullpen. Interesting enough, if Fulmer makes the Pirates' 40-man roster, he would join two of his former teammates from Vanderbilt in Bryan Reynolds and Jason Delay. All three played together when the Commodores won a National Championship in 2014.

Last season, Fulmer split roles with the Angels as a starter and as a reliever. Across 86.2 innings of work, Fulmer posted an earned run average of 4.15 with a FIP of 4.50, and he struck out 81 batters. Opposing hitters batted .243 against him, and he walked batters at 10.6% clip to generate a WHIP of 1.40.

Those were roughly average numbers last year, but he set a career-high in innings pitched in his age-30 season. The next closest campaign was 32.1 innings, and that was all the way back in 2018. He has never really been a guy to count on at the major league level, and has never lived up to his high prospect ranking, but the Pirates will take a chance with him.

Fulmer is just another depth piece down in Triple-A. Every team loads up on players like him during the offseason in the event that injuries occur, as well as the belief that they can unlock something that other teams were incapable of finding. If he does well in Indianapolis, the Pirates may be able to uncover something in the veteran, but for now, he is just another arm being added to the organization.