Could the Yankees re-visit deadline trade target in free agency?

Today at 10:43 AM

The New York Yankees nearly completed a deal to acquire Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers this past trade deadline before viewing medicals they didn’t love. It allowed for the Los Angeles Dodgers to swoop in and take him instead, but after they signed Blake Snell out of nowhere to a five-year $182 million deal, it’s hard to see Flaherty returning to his hometown team. The Bronx Bombers were in on Snell and even hosted a Zoom call meeting with him the day he went to the Dodgers, so perhaps they could pivot to a pitcher they viewed favorably at the deadline.

After striking out 194 batters across 162 innings with a 3.17 ERA, Flaherty could be a hot commodity on the free agent market and command a strong deal.

Jack Flaherty Might Make A Ton Of Sense For the Yankees

Last season was a return to dominance for Jack Flaherty who struggled from 2022-2023 to stay healthy and miss bats consistently, something he did extremely well back in 2019 when he burst onto the scene with the Cardinals. The right-hander went from a hideous 4.99 ERA with a mere 22.8% strikeout rate in 2023 to a 3.17 ERA and 29.9% strikeout rate, making some big starts for the Dodgers in the postseason as well.

He was cerebral in Game 1 of the NLCS and World Series, although he also had two blow-up starts in each series that inflated his ERA to 7.36 for the postseason. The right-hander has excellent strikeout stuff thanks to his solid fastball and elite breaking balls. Jack Flaherty’s unique release points create difficult looks for hitters to pick up as he has a lower release height and a wide release point, with his three primary pitches all racking up swings and misses at a high clip.

The Yankees showed heavy interest in Flaherty at the deadline and while a trade for him didn’t go through due to questionable medical records, perhaps this time around the parties are able to come to an agreement. It’s unclear whether these issues stemmed from the back injuries he dealt with during the regular season or back issues that he had been dealing with throughout his career, but the upside here is quiet enticing.

While the pitching market was set ablaze thanks to the five-year $182 million price tag on Blake Snell, there are reasons to believe that someone like Flaherty could be considered a good purchase. First and foremost he doesn’t have the Qualifying Offer attached to him, meaning teams won’t lose draft picks for signing him, and secondly he’s a little younger than some of the top starters on the market.

Entering his age-29 season, a four-year deal to Jack Flaherty would take him through his age-33 season, hardly when pitchers are considered washed up. If the Yankees were able to land the star right-hander, they could also be in position to move one of their starters for an infielder, which could be a need for them if they don’t trust Caleb Durbin or Ben Rice for Opening Day.

Projections view Jack Flaherty favorably, believing he’ll regress from his 2024 season but still remain a capable number two in a championship-caliber rotation.

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These numbers aren’t overwhelmingly dominant but they’ll certainly work for a solid number two starter, especially considering that Steamer has an average projected ERA of 4.13 for starting pitchers. Above-average run prevention with good strikeout rates as a median outcome is strong, and if Flaherty maintains the strides he made last season he could be a darkhorse Cy Young candidate.

Spotrac projects a three-year $63 million deal for the right-hander, which would be right up the Yankees’ alley since it’s a short-term deal without a hilariously high AAV. I have my doubts about a team netting someone like Flaherty on a three-year deal, but even on a four-year contract that would be excellent value for a team. He’s got the stuff to dominate a top-tier lineup and the Yankees would be better with him than without him, so perhaps they swoop in and land someone who they had their eyes on this summer.