Ex-Met Fulmer fine with trade

DETROIT — Michael Fulmer could look across the field Friday night and see plenty of friends in the visitors’ dugout at Comerica Park.

The Mets were reunited Friday with Fulmer, their former stud pitching prospect who has emerged this season among the American League’s elite rookie performers. It was a reminder Yoenis Cespedes wasn’t acquired cheaply.

The 23-year-old righty, whom the Mets are fortunate to miss in this weekend’s series against the Tigers, is 9-2 with a 2.42 ERA for a team rising in the AL Central. The Tigers entered Friday three games behind the Indians after having an eightgame winning streak broken the previous day.

A year removed from the trade, Fulmer said he is thrilled with the way things have worked out for both parties.

“That’s what teams have to do — they have to use their minor league system to make their big league team better, and I was thankful the Tigers wanted me,” said Fulmer, who was shipped from Double-A Binghamton to the Tigers organization with Luis Cessa last July 31 for Cespedes. “I was thoroughly thrilled with the opportunity to come play in Detroit, and to be here less than a year later, it was mind blowing. I didn’t expect to be here, but I thank god for the opportunity the Tigers have given me, and hopefully, I never let them down.”

Mets manager Terry Collins said he recently spoke with Jim Leyland, now a Tigers adviser, and the Cespedes-Fulmer deal was a topic of conversation.

“[Leyland] wanted to know if we had any more Fulmers we wanted to trade,” Collins said. “I told him I wasn’t sure, but I wanted to know if they had any more Cespedeses they wanted to trade.”