A Cardinals-Tigers trade to up the ante with Jack Flaherty's surprising leverage

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to be buyers this year at the trade deadline. Their biggest needs are a right-handed bat and a starting pitcher that they can trust to start Game 2 of a playoff series. The team rebounded from an ugly 15-24 start and now have the best record in the National League since Mother's Day. But there are still ways this team can improve and significantly boost their postseason chances.

Former Cardinal Jack Flaherty is having a strong season with the Detroit Tigers. A trade is possible, but the Tigers also have some leverage with him, as they could keep Flaherty and give him a qualifying offer if they don't receive a compelling trade offer, so as to ensure they at least get a compensation draft pick or even look to extend him before free agency, as was pointed out in The Athletic by Ken Rosenthal, Katie Woo, and Patrick Mooney.

Still, a reunion with the Cardinals is not too far-fetched. Flaherty had some good years as a Cardinal, including 2019 when he finished with a career-best 2.75 ERA. But because of the contract situation, St. Louis may have to up the ante a little bit.

A Cardinals-Tigers trade to bring Jack Flaherty back to St. Louis

If Flaherty returns to St. Louis via trade, he would be coming back to familiar territory and reuniting with several of his old teammates and coaches. He's 5-5 with a 3.24 ERA and is among the league leaders in strikeouts for pitchers. But again, St. Louis may have to aim a little higher and give up some more prospects to get a deal done.

The Cardinals might be a little hesitant to part ways with somebody like Gordon Graceffo after he put together a strong performance in his Major League debut on June 29 against the Cincinnati Reds. But they do have a few good prospects they could still use in a trade for Flaherty.

Michael McGreevy was their top draft pick back in 2021 and is close to being Major League ready. He's more of a ground-ball pitcher. His fastball averaged just 91.5 in 2023 but did help him post a ground-ball rate of 52.4 percent. That was the best among Triple-A pitchers.

Cesar Prieto was acquired in the trade that sent Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles last summer when the Cardinals were sellers at the trade deadline. He struck out at a very low rate of 9.6 percent last year and he made contact on close to 90 percent of the pitches he swung at. He also hit .364 in the minors last season with Baltimore's Double-A affiliate before being promoted to Triple-A.

This would give the Cardinals a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm, while the Tigers stock up on young talent for the future. It might just be enough for Detroit to consider moving Flaherty at the deadline this year.