After a hot start in the first month of the season, the Detroit Tigers have returned to mediocrity. Detroit was 18-13 on May 1, and its mark of five games above .500 was its best since the final day of the 2016 season. The team then won just five of 19 games over the next three weeks and has not carried a winning record since.

The Tigers find themselves 11 games back in a surprisingly competitive AL Central and on pace for their eighth-consecutive losing season. As frustration grows in Detroit, the team will once again be in “seller” mode as the MLB trade deadline approaches. As the Tigers desperately try to build a winning baseball team, here are two early-season trades the team must make.

Trade RHP Jack Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles for RHP Seth Johnson and SS Frederick Bencosme

Jack Flaherty had a rough second half of the year in 2023. After the St. Louis Cardinals dealt him to the Baltimore Orioles, the right-hander had a 6.75 ERA across 34.2 innings for the Orioles — hardly the impact they hoped for from their trade-deadline acquisition.

Despite his late-season struggles, Flaherty's career ERA of 3.75 earned him a one-year, $14 million deal with a rising Detroit Tigers club.

The 28-year-old has been worth every penny of that $14 million and much more in 2024. Flaherty has a 3.01 ERA on the year with a career-best 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

His expected stats are even more promising. The veteran carries an expected ERA of 2.67 — putting him in the 92nd percentile among MLB pitchers — while his whiff rate and strikeout rate are both in the 95th percentile.

Given Flaherty's one-year deal and the Tigers' struggles, the team will be looking to deal their talented right-hander before the MLB trade deadline. The Baltimore Orioles have weathered numerous injuries to their starting rotation this season. John Means and Kyle Bradish are both out for the year, while Dean Kremer is still on the IL.

A reunion with Jack Flaherty gives the O's an All-Star-level starting pitcher alongside Corbin Burnes and gives the rotation much-needed depth as the Orioles compete with the New York Yankees.

Another half-season rental will not be overly expensive for Baltimore, but Flaherty is in the midst of a career year. This deal will cost the Orioles pitcher Seth Johnson (the team's No. 10 prospect) and shortstop Frederick Bencosme (the No. 27 prospect in the Baltimore farm system).

Trade OF Mark Canha to the San Francisco Giants for OF Jonah Cox

Outfielder Mark Canha is another veteran the Tigers brought in on a one-year deal this season who has impressed at Comerica Park. Canha's 29 RBIs are second on the team, while his .346 on-base percentage leads the club.

Could Canha find himself traded for the third time in less than a year? Numerous MLB teams need outfield help but perhaps none more so than the San Francisco Giants.

Korean signing Jung Hoo Lee is out for the year. Austin Slater is also on the IL, and Michael Conforto has struggled since returning to the active roster. Conforto is the only regular outfielder for the Giants posting an OPS better than .700 who is currently active.

A low-cost, offensive-minded OF like Mark Canha is an ideal addition for San Francisco — who joins the Giants in exchange for their No. 27 prospect, Jonah Cox, as San Fran looks to stay in the NL Wild Card hunt and perhaps even make a run on the injury-riddled Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West race.