Ranking 3 Jack Flaherty trade suitors ahead of All-Star Break after another filthy start

Jack Flaherty is in the middle of a resurgent season. Everyone that saw Flaherty pitch in 2019 witnessed a burgeoning phenom on his road to becoming an undisputed ace. But since he had a 2.75 ERA that year, Flaherty has been mostly overlooked. Several injuries hampered Flaherty who had pitched largely to mixed success since accruing Cy Young and MVP votes in 2019. This year, the Tigers took a risk on Flaherty and have been rewarded.

Flaherty appears to have rediscovered what made him great in 2019. So far, he owns a 3.13 ERA with 119 Ks through 95 innings of work. His 11.27 K/9 rate stands as the sixth highest in the MLB and the highest of his career while his 1.52 BB/9 is the sixth lowest in the MLB and the lowest of his career. The run values on his pitches have also vastly improved since recent years. All these factors appear to have vastly improved his results this year.

However, the Tigers now seem to be falling out of the postseason picture. Still, their signing of Flaherty to a one-year deal in the offseason is turning out to be a smart move.

Let’s explore some of the best suitors for Flaherty that will give the Tigers the most bang for their buck.

3. New York Yankees

After trading five players to the Padres for one year of Juan Soto, the Yankees made it clear: they are a win-now team. Unfortunately, their ability to win now is buried in doubt. They are a team in need of a lot of help in every aspect (starting pitching, relief pitching, hitting, and defense). But there is hope (maybe) on the horizon, as Brian Cashman signals in recent remarks that a significant move might happen soon. How would Flaherty fit in?

Once the best rotation in baseball, the Yankees starting pitchers are now looking very concerning. While Luis Gil seems to be rebounding, Carlos Rodon has become a major point of worry. Before June 15, Rodon sported a 2.93 ERA, one of the best in the MLB. But since that day, Rodon has struggled. Today, he owns an ERA of 4.63. With Cody Poteet, JT Brubaker, and Clarke Schmidt still on the IL, there are questions on how they will perform post injury.

On the other hand, Jack Flaherty, who recently came back from injury, held a dangerous Cleveland lineup to just two hits and one run through six innings. If the Yankees were to acquire him, he could easily replace Rodon allowing New York the comfort of taking a more reliable starter into the postseason.

2. Boston Red Sox

Unlike their bitter rivals, the Red Sox don’t have as many options returning from the IL. In recent days, the Red Sox have surged above .500 and have gained the second AL Wild Card spot. A good portion of their success is owed to Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck, their top two starters. But beyond their spots in the rotation, there isn’t much to like. Enter Jack Flaherty.

The Red Sox have had success in past deals for valuable players. A combination of Chris Sale, JD Martinez, and David Price lifted the Red Sox to their most recent World Series victory in 2018. One would figure they would be ambitious enough to try the same playbook again.

If traded to the Red Sox, Jack Flaherty can give them the boost they need to overcome their AL East competitors and succeed in the postseason.

1. St Louis Cardinals

Despite having only one reliable starting pitcher, the struggling St Louis Cardinals have made a comeback in a big way. They are now four games above .500 and have taken control of the second NL Wild Card spot. This seems extremely strange since the Cardinals lag around half the MLB in all major statistics both offensive and in pitching.

Like the Yankees, the Cardinals might want to invest in both offensive firepower and capable arms. The one problem is that the Cardinals are short on farm system talent. But luckily, less than a year of Jack Flaherty shouldn’t tax their farm system too much.

Should the Cardinals acquire Flaherty, they will have assembled a very dangerous one-two punch with him and Sonny Gray. The way Flaherty is pitching this year, he could bring much needed stability to the Cardinal’s struggling rotation and legitimize them as a postseason threat instead of an easy postseason pushover.