Jack Flaherty’s trade value and more at risk after Tigers’ withdrawal

Jack Flaherty of the Detroit Tigers is one of those names that every member of the media, every fan, and every MLB team knows will be traded before the trade deadline. It just makes too much sense to trade him if you’re the Tigers, and it makes too much sense to trade him if you’re a contender.

This season, Flaherty has shown the potential of an ace, posting a 3.24 ERA. Flaherty has also struck out 115 hitters in 89 innings, for a K/9 of nearly 12, which would be his career high in that category. He has really been the difference for the Tigers this year.

Add to that the fact that the Tigers are effectively out of the playoffs and Flaherty’s contract is expiring, and it’s the typical situation in which a seller would offload a rented starting pitcher before the deadline.

This is assuming his recent back injury does not give potential buyers cause for concern.

Flaherty was ruled out of his start on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins due to what the Tigers described as a “back injury.” Obviously, this revelation led directly to conspiracies and questions from nearly the entire league as everyone wondered if he was OK.

What hasn’t been mentioned so far is that Flaherty is suffering from a back injury that could be related to him missing this start. It seems to be a completely new development that could be both good and bad.

“We didn’t talk about it like that because the doctors told us we could do it by missing one start and getting him back in the rotation next week,” Hinch said of Flaherty. according to The Athletic“If you skip a start, the medication can work and help him feel better.”

On the positive side, a new development means it’s likely not a stubborn injury that’s been bothering him for months. It means it’s probably not something that should keep him out of action beyond the trade deadline. On the other hand, it also means it’s completely unknown to us at the moment, meaning the severity of the injury is really in question until more details emerge.

Hopefully it’s just a minor issue, more caution than necessary. Hopefully the Tigers are just playing it safe with their huge trade piece and don’t want to risk any more injuries that could prevent them from trading him in the next few weeks.