The Baltimore Orioles are finalizing a trade for St. Louis Cardinals SP Jack Flaherty, per Jeff Passan. The O's needed starting pitching help and Flaherty will provide exactly that. The Cardinals are receiving INF Cesar Prieto and LHP Drew Rom as part of the trade, via Passan as well.
The Cardinals were sellers ahead of the deadline, trading players such as SS Paul DeJong and SP Jordan Montgomery along with Flaherty. St. Louis held onto superstars 3B Nolan Arenado and 1B Paul Goldschmidt though. It even appeared as if they were going to keep Flaherty before dealing him away just in time as the deadline approached quickly on Tuesday.
The Orioles are receiving a former star in Flaherty. He's dealt with injury concerns over the past few years and hasn't found his footing in 2023. Nevertheless, Baltimore desperately needed to add pitching and Flaherty should help matters moving forward.
Orioles land Jack Flaherty in trade
Flaherty, 27, owns a 4.43 ERA during the '23 campaign. The good news is that he's already pitched in more games than both 2022 and 2021.
Control has been an issue at times for the veteran right-hander, recording 54 walks across 109.1 innings pitched with the Cardinals. As a result, his WHIP sits at a 1.550 mark which is far from ideal.
There is reason for optimism, however. Flaherty is inducing more ground balls than last season and is also minimizing line drives. He's allowed hard contact far too often, but he can find success if he keeps the ball on the ground and limits the base-on-balls.
The Orioles are currently fighting for the division title in the American League East. They play in MLB's most competitive division so locking up the division will be a challenge without question. Flaherty knows what it takes to win though, having done so on a consistent basis in St. Louis.