The Detroit Tigers have been nothing to write home about this year, but right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty has been. That's why the Houston Astros, who are gearing up for another playoff run, have been taking a long look at him.
Both teams have been discussing a possible trade centering around the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder, via MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
“Jack Flaherty has been the subject of trade dialogue between the Tigers and Astros, sources say, @MLBNetwork” Morosi reported.
Flaherty is 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA and a 0.956 WHIP across 18 starts this season. The former St. Louis Cardinal also has 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings, 1.6 walks per nine, and a 7.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which are all career-best marks.
Will these two teams come to terms before Tuesday?
Jack Flaherty could get the Tigers a nice haul of prospects
The Astros have a long list of prospects in their farm system that could help the Tigers. At 51-53, Detroit is unlikely to challenge for a playoff spot this season, as the squad is 5.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot.
Therefore, it's time to look to the future. Flaherty will be a free agent this off-season, so there's no reason to risk him walking for nothing in return.
Detroit feels the same way, via Free Press's Evan Petzold.
“The #Tigers won't trade Tarik Skubal unless they receive a franchise-changing offer they can't refuse, but they plan to trade Jack Flaherty,” Petzold reported. “The [Baltimore] Orioles fit as a trade partner for Skubal; the [Los Angeles] Dodgers fit as a trade partner for Flaherty.”
Houston's top prospects include outfielders Jacob Melton and Luis Baez, as well as infielders Zach Dezenso. Melton and Dezenso are in AAA and are projected to be called up next year, via MLB.com. The Tigers need offensive help, as their .233 team batting average ranks just 25th in the league.
While Petzold mentioned the Orioles as a potential trade partner, they're probably out of the Flaherty sweepstakes after dealing for Tampa Bay Rays hurler Zach Eflin on Friday. The Astros, though have yet to make any headlining deals, although they've also been linked to Chicago Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon and Rays infielder Isaac Paredes.
Houston currently leads the AL Central by one game over the Seattle Mariners with a 53-49 record. Seattle, though, traded for Tampa Bay slugger Randy Arozarena Thursday night, so the Astros can't get too confident. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers lurk in third place just 2.5 games behind them.
It's in both Detroit and Houston's best interests to get a deal done, but it'll only happen if the Astros fork over enough compensation to satisfy the Tigers. Somewhere in the neighborhood of two of Houston's top-15 prospects should be enough, as Eflin fetched three Baltimore prospects despite having worse numbers than Flaherty.
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