The Tigers are scratching Jack Flaherty from tomorrow we will start facing the twins. The right-hander remained in Los Angeles after his start against the Angels last Thursday to receive an injection to treat back pain, writes Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.
At the moment, the situation does not seem to be worrying. Manager AJ Hinch told the Detroit Rhythm on Tuesday afternoon that the team remains confident of avoiding the injury list (reported to X by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic). McCosky reports that the Tigers are eyeing next week's home series against the Guardians for Flaherty to take over.
A team that skips a pitcher's start to deal with a minor back problem will generally be unremarkable. However, Flaherty's health is more important with less than a month before the trade deadline. Detroit lost Tuesday to fall nine games below .500. All are guaranteed to enter the deadline as at least soft sellers. It makes sense that they would be hesitant to move players they have owned for years. They should deal with their free agents who will be very attractive to them. Flaherty tops the list.
Detroit's decision to sign Flaherty to a one-year, $14MM cushion contract was one of the best moves of the 2023-24 offseason. Despite a rocky outing in his recent appearances, he owns a 3.24 ERA over 15 starts. Flaherty struck out 33% of the batters he faced behind a career-best 14.2% strikeout rate. He walked a career-low 4% of opposing hitters. He should get his first All-Star this summer.
Assuming he's healthy, Flaherty figures to find himself in a lot of trade rumors coming out of the Midsummer Classic. He will likely be the best starting pitcher on the market. MLBTR listed Flaherty as the #3 pitcher on our list for the upcoming free agent class last week. Players above him, Corbin Burns again Fried Maxthey are not for sale.
Beyond Flaherty, the recruiting market could include the likes of Yusei Kikuchi, Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana again Frankie Montas. As the best future free agent starter available, Flaherty could give the Tigers a future package adorned with top-100 talent. If they don't trade him, Detroit could make him a worthy offer at the end of the season. Assuming Flaherty signs elsewhere for at least $50MM, the Tigers will get a pick after the first round of the 2025 draft. Detroit should, however, find a package of prospects in the next few weeks that they consider more important than draft picks.
Keider Montero he will get the ball tomorrow in Flaherty's absence. As first reported by MLB.com's Jason Beck (on X), Detroit recalled the rookie righty less than a week after selecting him. That is only allowed if Motero is replacing a player on the roster heading to the injured list. That won't be Flaherty but the right hand Casey Mize, who was handed a 15-day IL ticket after suffering a strained left hamstring in his start on Sunday. The former first-round pick owns a 4.23 ERA despite a career-low 16.8% strikeout rate in 16 starts in his return from Tommy John surgery.
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