MLB Rumors: Spencer Jones truth, Cardinals ideal target, Jack Flaherty suitors

The MLB trade deadline is just eight days away. It might not feel that way considering that things appear to be a bit quiet on the rumor mill, but there can be action at any given moment.

This is shaping up to potentially be a quiet-ish trade deadline, but FanSided's Robert Murray along with his co-host Adam Weinrib came through with fascinating MLB rumors for your consumption on the Baseball Insiders podcast.

(For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on the Baseball Insiders podcast and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.)

MLB Rumors: Potential Jack Flaherty suitors revealed

All trade focus right now on the pitching front is revolving around guys like Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet, and for good reason, but Jack Flaherty's chances of being moved are greater than either of those controllable arms, and he's had a terrific year in his own right.

The right-hander has dealt with some injury issues of late, but has a 3.13 ERA in 17 starts and 100.2 innings pitched this season for the Detroit Tigers. He has fanned 127 batters while issuing just 17 walks. He has limited the opposition to three earned runs or fewer in all but three of his starts, proving to be consistently reliable for a Tigers team that will likely be selling.

If they do sell, Flaherty, a rental, is almost certainly going to get dealt. So many teams need starting pitching, but there's only so much teams can give up for a rental. As for potential destinations, Murray listed a couple of interesting ones.

"I don't know who's interested, but I think the Dodgers, especially considering he's from that area make sense. I don't think the Orioles would do that again after what ended up happening last year. Another one is the Minnesota Twins who I think could make some sense. I fully anticipate Flaherty getting moved... The Padres could make some sense considering the Mike Schildt connection."

Murray made it clear that he doesn't know for sure which teams are interested in Flaherty specifically, but he linked some clubs that would make a ton of sense. The Los Angeles Dodgers are dealing with an absurd amount of pitching injuries, and since Flaherty is from the area, they could be in good position to extend him if they wanted to.

Teams like the Minnesota Twins and San Diego Padres haven't been discussed much in recent rumors, but both could use a boost on the starting pitching front. The Twins in particular, if Pablo Lopez bounces back in the second half, could be a fascinating team to watch down the stretch.

Interestingly, Murray dismissed the Baltimore Orioles as a potential landing spot for Flaherty, which makes sense after last season. Baltimore acquired him at the 2023 deadline but he struggled mightily for them down the stretch.

MLB Rumors: Cardinals ideal pitching trade target

The St. Louis Cardinals got off to a brutal start to their season but have rebounded nicely, and find themselves squarely in the postseason race with the deadline rapidly approaching. At 52-47, they're in sole possession of the second Wild Card spot in the NL and are only 5.0 games behind the first-place Brewers in the NL Central.

With the right deadline moves, the Cardinals can not only find themselves in a postseason spot come October, but they have the talent to potentially make a run. There are areas for John Mozeliak to address first, though, and it really starts with starting pitching.

Sonny Gray is the team's ace, but they lack a clear No. 2 starter to pitch behind him. Guys like Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson have exceeded expectations, but aren't really trustworthy No. 2 options at this stage of their career. Adding a frontline starter could help take the Redbirds to the next level, and Murray happens to link the Cards to an intriguing option, Zach Eflin of the Tampa Bay Rays.

"A team that I've heard connected to him is the St. Louis Cardinals, and there are people around Eflin who think he can end up being their next version of Adam Wainwright in St. Louis. If he ultimately is traded there, which there are no guarantees, he's a really valuable asset and I think the Rays would have to be blown away."

On the surface, Eflin makes a lot of sense, and if anyone thinks Eflin can be their next version of Adam Wainwright, Mozeliak should be doing whatever it takes to get a deal done. I mean, why wouldn't he?

Even if Eflin pitches as he has for this season, he'd be a major addition for the Cardinals. His 4.14 ERA in 18 starts isn't ideal, but the fact that he has a 3.64 FIP and a 3.38 xERA indicates that he has gotten a bit unlucky thus far, and can pitch like the 3.50 pitcher he was last season for Tampa Bay.

He'd cost a lot given his extra year of club control, but the Cardinals should be willing to meet a relatively high asking price for a reliable arm who can make them much better. The time to win is now, and John Mozeliak cannot be afraid to strike.

MLB Rumors: How available is Spencer Jones?

A report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today from this past weekend suggested that Spencer Jones, the New York Yankees' No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, might be available in the right deal. This is what Nightengale said.

"The Yankees, for the first time, are willing to include No. 1 prospect Spencer Jones in a trade for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet or Tigers Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal."

This would be a shift in thinking for the Yankees who refused to make Jones available this offseason in Corbin Burnes talks and saw him get dealt to their division rivals, the Baltimore Orioles.

Including Jones in a Skubal package feels like a no-brainer considering Skubal is arguably the best pitcher in the game right now and is controllable, and Murray agrees. In regards to Crochet, though, that's another story.

"There's a good amount of interest in Crochet, but I'm skeptical about certain different things that have been reported. We see there have been reports that the Yankees have been willing to include Spencer Jones in a Garrett Crochet trade, we've seen the Yankees are also willing to include Jones in a Tarik Skubal trade. I believe that to be true for Skubal, but as far as Garrett Crochet goes, I don't believe that is ultimately going to be the case. I am pretty skeptical about that. I think if they were to get Garrett Crochet, I think they would do it in a deal that does not involve Spencer Jones."

The Yankees being willing to trade Jones for Skubal is unsurprising, but Crochet is not quite in that Skubal tier, mainly because of innings concerns for this season and injury concerns for the future. Crochet has been fantastic in his breakout season and there's reason to believe that the Yankees should be willing to trade Jones to get him, but it doesn't sound as if that is the case right now.

As for why this rumor in particular has popped up, Murray has an interesting theory.

"I think those reports about the Yankees' willingness to include Spencer Jones are to drive up the price on the Orioles and to drive the price up on the Dodgers."

Even if the Yankees are unwilling to trade Jones and that's a sticking point for the White Sox in a Crochet deal, it does neither side no good to say New York will refuse to trade Jones. If rival teams think Jones is available, they'd have to give up more. From New York's perspective, shouldn't they want the Orioles to give more up if they're going to lose out on Crochet anyway? From Chicago's perspective, shouldn't you want teams to think the Yankees are willing to give up Jones so you can, in theory, get even more for your best trade chip?

It'll be fascinating to see if Crochet gets traded and where he ends up. It feels like the Yankees, if they don't offer Jones, don't stand much of a chance considering what teams like the Orioles and Dodgers have to offer.