MLB Rumors: Jack Flaherty buzz, Cardinals trade target gone, White Sox changes

We are a week and a month away from the July 30 MLB trade deadline. In the coming weeks, every team will be evaluating its competitive outlook and determining potential needs. Some front offices will move to sell and rebuild. Others will look to add talent in hopes of a deep October run.

Here are the latest MLB rumors, served up courtesy of USA Today scribe Bob Nightengale, who unleashed a tidal wave in his weekly Sunday report.

MLB Rumors: White Sox could fire Pedro Grifol at season's end

The Chicago White Sox are the worst team in baseball by a healthy margin, which is never ideal. There's a stark difference between rebuilding with a purpose and being flat-out unwatchable, with Chicago skewing toward the latter this season. New GM Chris Getz needs time workshop the roster and build a team in his vision, but if the Reinsdorf's management if the Chicago Bulls is any indication, the White Sox may very well be doomed to eternal mediocrity.

We can already expect a fire sale at the deadline, with Erick Fedde, Garrett Crochet, and Luis Robert Jr. among those floated as potential trade candidates. The White Sox will probably field calls from every corner of the league, especially from contenders look to stockpile affordable assets and take advantage of a team without much incentive to keep its own stars.

According to USA Today, however, there could be changes coming to Chicago beyond the roster. Manager Pedro Grifol is firmly on the hot seat, with the front office internally discussing Miami Marlins skipper Skip Schumaker as a potential replacement. The Marlins are the only team on the same wavelength as Chicago when it comes to abject disappointment, but it's hard to blame Schumaker — the reigning NL Manager of the Year.

Grifol has a record of 82-158 through 1.5 seasons as the White Sox manager. Those numbers won't cut it. He hasn't exactly been aided by the front office, but even with lackluster personnel, Chicago has vastly underperformed expectations for two years running. His days are numbered.

MLB Rumors: Trade talks die down for Marlins ace Jesus Luzardo

The Marlins are probably keeping 26-year-old ace Jesus Luzardo through the deadline. Luzardo recently landed on the 15-day IL with a lumbar stress reaction in his lower back. Once a popular name in trade rumors, he is now slated to miss 4-6 weeks. That means Luzardo could be inactive when the trade deadline rolls around. As such, Luzardo is "not expected" to be dealt, per USA Today.

This is bad news for several teams, but none more than the St. Louis Cardinals. Of all the available pitchers, few appealed to St. Louis' specific needs more than Luzardo. He is a talented southpaw, and the Cards lack lefties in the starting rotation. He is also young — a viable ace with years of team control left on his contract. The Cards are saddled with several vets on one-year contracts, so an actual building block would be a welcomed reprieve from the staffs' current mediocrity.

The Cardinals surely would love to pair Sonny Gray and Luzardo atop the rotation. That feels more like a 1-2 punch that can put St. Louis in the postseason conversation. There's still a chance Luzardo is moved, assuming a quick recovery, but the Cards are unlikely to bet on uncertain health in a season where short-term gains are the priority.

One would imagine Luzardo comes back up in trade talks next summer. He's arbitration eligible through the 2026 campaign, so Miami can still leverage two full seasons of team control in trade negotiations. That would also give Luzardo a chance to build back confidence (and trade value) in the final months of the season. It has been a rocky campaign to date, with Luzardo posting a 5.00 ERA and 1.245 WHIP through 12 starts.

MLB Rumors: Tigers have 'awfully nice trade chip' in Jack Flaherty

Time is a flat circle, and the MLB is proof.

As the 2024 MLB trade deadline approaches, we are back where the 2023 MLB trade deadline started — with Jack Flaherty being floated as an "awfully nice trade chip," per USA Today. Teams around the league are expected to take interest in the 28-year-old righty, who inked a one-year, $14 million contract with the Detroit Tigers last winter.

Flaherty has been undeniably effective for the Tigers. He ranks near the top of the American League in strikeouts (108) with a dominant 2.92 ERA and 0.972 WHIP through 14 starts. Flaherty is in the prime of his career and he's pitching his best stuff since 2019, when he finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting with St. Louis.

The Cardinals were in a similar position to Detroit last season, albeit Flaherty's numbers weren't quite as impressive. He was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles in July, viewed by some as the missing piece for an upstart contender. Rather than pushing Baltimore over the top, however, Flaherty completely undermined the O's' competitive aspirations. His ERA ballooned in a new uniform (6.75) and he crumbled on the postseason stage.

He looks plain better this time around, but teams ought to proceed cautiously when making offers to Detroit. Flaherty's late-season track record is iffy at best, and he's only signed through the end of the current campaign. Odds are any team that trades for Flaherty is taking out a rental, not investing for the long term.

That said, it's a great position for the Tigers to be in. Aside from competing for the playoffs, it's hard to do better than receiving top-shelf prospects for an expiring vet who very few believed in after last season. Detroit has shown more signs of life this season than we're used to. With a productive trade deadline and a solid offseason, perhaps 2025 could be the Tigers' year.