Cleveland Indians: Are any Detroit starting pitchers on Tribe’s radar?

Matthew Boyd

On the 10-day Injured List, Matthew Boyd hasn’t pitched since June 14 and likely won’t until after the All-Star break at the earliest. The injury has been reported as muscular tendinitis in his triceps, so it’s an injury that will heal with time and doesn’t have any structural damage. For teams interested in Boyd, that’s a great thing to hear.

As for this season, Boyd was in the middle of a rather decent season. In fact, statistically he is on pace for his best season yet with a 3.44 ERA. After leading baseball in earned runs allowed and home runs given up just a year ago, it seems as though Boyd has weathered the storm a bit.

Over 13 starts he allowed a total of 27 earned runs and just six home runs. He also struck out 56 batters and walked 19 over 70.2 innings pitched. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but they are far better than what Cleveland currently has in the rotation.

As for his contact, Boyd was signed on for a total of $6.5 million this season and has one year of arbitration remaining. That could raise is value a bit, but the question will be if Detroit sees him as part of their future.

If the answer is yes, then prying him away will be difficult. If the answer is no, this would be the best opportunity Detroit has to move him. With a year left of control, his value is higher than it would be next season. Plus, he’s having a really strong season. Now, he just needs to get healthy.

Michael Fulmer

The Detroit Tigers have had their fair share of injuries to starting pitchers and Michael Fulmer has been no stranger to the list. After starting every game he pitched from 2016 through 2020, Fulmer has just four starts in 2021 through 25 appearances.

The Tigers last used him as a starter on May 4 and he didn’t make it out of the first inning. Since then, he’s been in the bullpen when healthy and has even logged six saves. Unfortunately, he went back on the injured list on June 27 with what is being called a right cervical spine strain. Luckily, he could be back in 10 days.

The Cleveland Indians should monitor Fulmer’s track back and, if he returns to full strength, a trade. While Fulmer has struggled starting this season, he’s not that far removed from a terrific start to his career.

In 2016 Fulmer won the American League Rookie of the Year before being an All-Star in 2017. He struggled in 2018 and rather imploded in 2020 after not pitching in 2019, but he’s been able to get back on track this year with a 4.05 ERA.

As for his contract, Fulmer is rather cheap currently at $3.1 million in total this year with a year of arbitration left next year. Given that the Tigers have moved him into the bullpen, he might be an easy trade target in the coming month.

Spencer Turnbull

If this article does anything it should make fans of the Cleveland Indians feel like they aren’t alone in losing all their starting pitchers to injury. With that being said, Spencer Turnbull is the next name on the list of both potential trade targets and currently injured Tigers pitchers.

Turnbull’s injury is a right forearm strain. Back on June 8, A.J. Hinch said he didn’t think Turnbull would miss significant time, yet here we are, 20 days later, and he’s still on the list. However, before the injury Turnbull was turning heads as one of the top arms on the trade market.

With nine starts under his belt in 2021, Turnbull was able to maintain a 2.88 ERA with a 4-2 record. Not bad for being on a struggling team. He also tallied 44 strikeouts with just 12 walks over 50 innings.

Obviously those numbers are pre-injury so the Turnbull that returns could be a totally different pitcher. Plus, his contract could make him very difficult to pry away from the Tigers.

Unlike Boyd and Fulmer who could be gone soon, Turnbull still has three years of arbitration, keeping him under team control through the 2024 season. For a team like Detroit that’s rebuilding, he could very well fit into their window for success. That paired with the injury makes him seem like the least likely to be moved at the deadline of the group.

Jose Urena

The first pitcher on this list that’s healthy, Jose Urena joined Detroit this past offseason through free agency after six years with the Miami Marlins. With the deal being a one-year contract worth just over $3 million in total, Urena could be a decent target for teams in need of starting pitching at the deadline.

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While Urena’s contract fits what is usually moved at the deadline, his stats don’t support the idea as well. Through 14 starts, Urena’s ERA is at a solid 6.00 mark after allowing 46 runs through 69 innings pitched. On top of that his strikeouts are a bit low at 42 and his walks high at 32.

So why even mention him? Well, if the Brad Peacock signing showed Tribe fans anything it’s that ownership isn’t giving the front office much to work with, meaning cheap moves to try and make some sort of improvement to the roster. That’s exactly what Urena would be.

While his stats aren’t great by any means, Urena would be a cheap acquisition that would give Cleveland another option to use in the starting rotation down the stretch. He wouldn’t break the bank and shouldn’t take much to acquire, which are all big plus signs for this current regime.