Orioles Could Target Pitcher Jack Flaherty Again Despite Brutal 2023 Stint

Despite having a brutal stretch with the Orioles last season, Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty could soon become a two-time trade deadline acquisition for Baltimore. The team is reportedly considering giving him another chance in order to strengthen its rotation ahead of the postseason.

The Orioles first acquired Flaherty in 2023 from the St. Louis Cardinals, but he regressed almost immediately upon arriving. After compiling a 4.43 ERA and 7-6 record with St. Louis, he earned a 6.75 ERA in nine appearances for Baltimore. The Orioles finished the season with 101 wins but were swept by the Texas Rangers in the ALDS.

Despite his rough stretch to the end of 2023, Flaherty is currently in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career. Through 18 starts for the Tigers, he currently has a 2.95 ERA, pitching well despite the team’s consummate troubles. This makes him an ideal trade candidate, and according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Baltimore might still consider him for another playoff push.

With a 61-41 record, the Orioles currently control the A.L. East division over the New York Yankees. But the team has many of the same problems that it did last year, boasting a talented young core but an average starting rotation and bullpen. Corbin Burnes has been an excellent acquisition and serves as the team’s ace, but fellow starters Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells have all been forced on the shelf with long-term injuries. The team’s bullpen has a collective 3.75 ERA, far from the worst in the league but nothing special either.

Flaherty may not have helped Baltimore solve any of these issues last year, instead contributing to the team’s playoff defeat, but he wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire as a Cardinal either in 2023. He has been far more effective for the Tigers and figures as an even more attractive pickup this time around.