The Tigers have scratched Jack Flaherty from Thursday’s scheduled start against the Twins. The right-hander remained in Los Angeles after his start against the Angels last Thursday to receive an injection to treat back soreness, writes Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
For the moment, it doesn’t seem the situation is concerning. Manager A.J. Hinch told the Detroit beat on Tuesday afternoon that the team remains confident he’ll avoid the injured list, per Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic. McCosky reports that the Tigers are targeting next week’s home series against the Guardians for Flaherty to take the ball.
A team skipping a pitcher’s start to treat a minor back issue wouldn’t ordinarily be noteworthy. Yet Flaherty’s health is of utmost importance with less than a month before the trade deadline. Detroit lost on Tuesday to fall nine games below .500. The Tigers all but assured of going into deadline season as at least soft sellers. It stands to reason they’ll be reluctant to move players whom they have under control for multiple years, but they should deal their most appealing impending free agents. Flaherty tops the list.
Detroit’s decision to sign Flaherty to a one-year, $14M pillow contract was one of the best moves of the 2023-24 offseason. Despite a rocky outing in his most recent appearance, he carries a 3.24 ERA over 15 starts. Flaherty has punched out 33% of batters faced behind an excellent 14.2% swinging strike rate. He has walked a career-low 4% of opposing hitters. He should get his first All-Star nod this summer.
Assuming he’s healthy, Flaherty figures to find himself in plenty of trade rumors coming out of the Midsummer Classic. He’ll almost certainly be the best rental starting pitcher on the market. MLBTR slotted Flaherty as the No. 3 pitcher on our ranking of the upcoming free agent class. The players above him, Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, aren’t getting traded.
Beyond Flaherty, the rental rotation market could include the likes of Yusei Kikuchi, Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Frankie Montas. As the best impending free agent starter available, Flaherty could net the Tigers a prospect package headlined by a borderline Top 100 caliber talent. If they don’t trade him, the Tigers could make him a qualifying offer at the end of the season. Assuming Flaherty signed elsewhere for at least $50M, Detroit would get a pick after the first round in the 2025 draft. Detroit should nevertheless find a prospect package within the next few weeks that it considers more valuable than the draft choice.
Keider Montero will get the ball in Flaherty’s absence. As first reported by Jason Beck of MLB.com, Detroit is recalling the rookie righty less than a week after optioning him. That’s only permissible if Montero is replacing a player on the roster who is headed to the injured list. That won’t be Flaherty but right-hander Casey Mize, who is ticketed for the 15-day IL after suffering a left hamstring strain in his start on Sunday. The former first overall pick owns a 4.23 ERA despite a modest 16.8% strikeout rate over 16 starts in his return from Tommy John surgery.