Ex-Cardinals Hurler Could Be Mets Target This Offseason Despite Disappointing Season
The St. Louis Cardinals aren't the only team in baseball who are in search of starting pitching help this offseason.
There's a handful of clubs who need to greatly improve their rotations after down years in 2023. St. Louis certainly is one after winning just 71 games last season. The New York Mets are another club that underperformed last season and are looking to bolster their rotation.
One player who could be a fit for the Mets is former Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty, according to SNY's Danny Abriano.
"Flaherty has dealt with shoulder issues and is coming off a poor 2023 -- when he had a 4.99 ERA and 1.58 WHIP across 144.1 innings for the Cardinals and Orioles," Abriano said. : But he is just two seasons removed from a year where he posted a 3.22 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while striking out 9.8 per nine -- and he is entering his age-28 season.
"As is the case with (Luis Severino), interested teams really shouldn't be floating Flaherty anything more than a one-year, prove-it deal. If his offers exceed that, the Mets should bow out. At one year, though, Flaherty -- who has a four-pitch mix and an average fastball velocity that has always hovered around 93 mph -- could be a nice bounce-back candidate."
Flaherty was selected in the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft and spent his entire career with St. Louis before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles ahead of the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline. The 28-year-old looked like a star in the making but has dealt with multiple injuries that have derailed his career. His best season was in 2019 when he compiled a 2.75 ERA across 33 starts at just 23 years old.
He certainly has upside if he can get healthy and could help the Mets' rotation -- or even the Cardinals if they decide they are open to a reunion. It will certainly will be interesting to see where Flaherty lands.
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