While the intrigue surrounding the Tigers centers on Tarik Skubal, their most tradable player at the deadline is Jack Flaherty. The 28-year-old pitcher is having a renaissance season in Detroit and will be a free agent this winter.
A former Cy Young candidate with the Cardinals whose career was derailed by injuries, Flaherty signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Tigers last winter. Now he's having arguably the best season of his career. He touts a 3.13 ERA and a 0.979 WHIP through 16 starts, with one of the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in the majors. He pitched well in his return from a back injury in his final start before the All-Star break.
Flaherty will draw plenty of interest ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. He'll appeal to pretty much any contender in need of starting pitching, even if he isn't viewed as an ace. So what could Scott Harris and the Tigers get for him? MLB insider Jon Morosi points to the return they got at last year's deadline for Michael Lorenzen, who was dealt to the Phillies for a solid but unspectacular position prospect in Hao-Yu Lee.
"That’s the kind of player you would probably get for Jack Flaherty. It’s not a transformative, change-your-organization move like Skubal," said Morosi.
Lee was the Phillies' fifth-ranked prospect at the time of the trade, per MLB Pipeline, in a pretty weak farm system. He's gone on to have a strong year for Detroit, posting an .870 OPS in Double-A Erie and earning an invite to the MLB Futures Game. Lorenzen was a pending free agent in the midst of the best season of his career.
In gauging the market for Flaherty, Morosi lists the Brewers, Dodgers and Padres as three teams who could have interest.
"The Tigers are fortunate in that the Flaherty value is clear for teams that need another starter and I think the price point is pretty clear as well. It’s about what they got for Lorenzen, who, again, was half a year of a guy who made an All-Star team last year and was pitching really well," Morosi said. "It’s probably about the same level of player for Flaherty right now."
The Tigers do have the option of keeping Flaherty through this season should they claw back into the playoff race. If they extend him a qualifying offer and he signs elsewhere in free agency for at least $50 million, they'd be awarded a compensatory pick between the first and second round of next year's draft. Or they can attempt to extend him before then. But in the probable event that the Tigers decide to sell, Flaherty is their most cashable asset.
While Flaherty has pitched like an ace for Detroit, Morosi said his suitors will likely view him as more of a "third, fourth starter, someone who’s probably going to start a game for you in a playoff series but not Game 1 and probably not Game 2."
The trade return, if there is one, figures to reflect that.