Veteran reliever lands with Angels after being overlooked for spot in SF Giants bullpen

Michael Fulmer's foray into free agency did not last long. According to a team announcement, the veteran reliever has joined the Los Angeles Angels on a minor league deal after his time with the SF Giants came to an end last week.

The Giants released Fulmer after the trade deadline. Presumably, he triggered his opt-out clause, as a lot of veteran players have hit the open market recently. Oftentimes, a team has a window to add a player to the roster after he has exercised his opt-out clause, but in this case, the Giants did not make that move.

It was a bit of a surprise. The Giants need all the bullpen help they can get and should be giving every player an audition. That said, even if they added Fulmer, it would have likely been a short-term move. He would be eligible for free agency at the end of the year. Perhaps, that is the reason they did not want to give him a chance.

To Fulmer's credit, he pitched well during his time in the Giants organization. He joined the club on a minor league deal in the offseason. This included a camp invite. Before Fulmer was selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2011 draft, he was lightly recruited by Tony Vitello to pitch at Texas Christian University (TCU).

Despite solid results, Michael Fulmer never got a chance with SF Giants

For Vitello, his time at TCU was a midpoint between his time at the University of Missouri and the University of Tennessee. He only spent a couple of seasons at TCU before becoming the head coach of the Tennessee baseball program and setting the foundation to becoming a major league manager.

It felt like Fulmer's connection to Vitello would eventually pave the way to a role in the bullpen, but that never came to fruition. The veteran pitcher put up respectable numbers in spring training, but was among the last cuts in camp.

Fulmer was reassigned to the Sacramento River Cats, where he posted a 2.98 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 11.1 K/9, and a 2.48 SO/W rate across 42.1 innings. In the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, those are strong numbers.

The Giants had plenty of opportunities to give him a chance, but went in a different direction. The bullpen has tallied a 4.33 ERA, which is 22nd in baseball. They have had problems up and down that unit, but in particular, they have struggled to close out games.

The Giants have cycled through several closers this year. This is not to say that Fulmer would have been an option for that role, but could not have made things worse.

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