Tigers at risk of making a mistake the Cardinals avoided with Jack Flaherty

The Detroit Tigers season hangs in the balance, as a team many thought would take a step forward under AJ Hinch's management has failed to do so. Despite sitting 16 games back of the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central and well behind the AL Wild Card leaders, Scott Harris and the Tigers front office has yet to commit to a full sell-off.

There's a month until the MLB trade deadline, so the Tigers have plenty of time to make that decision. Yet, given Detroit's recent play and the number of organizational holes left to fill, it would be wise for the Tigers to extend their rebuild and trade off a few rentals, even if fans struggle to cope in the moment.

Through the first half of the season, one of Detroit's lone bright spots has been the rotation. Tarik Skubal is among the best starters in all of baseball. The Tigers should hold onto Skubal as a building block, and perhaps chat extension after the season. Jack Flaherty, on the other hand, ought to be dealt regardless of what Detroit does between now and late July.

Tigers can't afford to make a critical mistake with Jack Flaherty

When the Tigers signed Flaherty this winter to a one-year contract, it became clear he was likely to be flipped at the trade deadline if Detroit fell out of contention for one of the three AL Wild Card spots. The Tigers are eight games back of the Royals for the third and final Wild Card spot. What are we waiting for?

Harris inherited a team with many flaws thanks to former GM Al Avila. While fans have grown impatient with his lack of communication and direction, holding onto Flaherty on a one-year deal would be an unforgivable trade deadline strategy. So far this season, the right-hander has accumulated 2.1 WAR and 3.24 ERA, looking much like his former All-Star self. He should be one of the top starting pitchers available come late July, and Harris could leverage that into a hefty return, even as a rental.

Tigers should take advice from the Cardinals on Jack Flaherty

Just last season, the St. Louis Cardinals faced a similar predicament, albeit with a much less successful version of Flaherty. The Cardinals traded Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles for a package of MLB-ready prospects while they still had the chance.

While I would advise Harris not to take too much advice from John Mozeliak, in this case the Cardinals were correct in their assessment of the big-league roster. Mozeliak took the path towards retooling, and now St. Louis is competing for a Wild Card spot in the National League.

Extending the Tigers rebuild will be painful, as the fanbase is hungry for a winner. 2024 isn't their year, though, and that much is obvious.