Tigers Face Difficult Trade Deadline Decision With Struggling Veteran Pitcher
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After the Detroit Tigers were eliminated from the American League Division Series in five games last October, one player who wanted to return and made it clear was right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty. When the dust settled on the offseason, he returned for another season in the Motor City in the final year of his two-year contract.
However, things have not gone the way that Flaherty or the Tigers had hoped in 2026 so far. Injuries and individual players struggling have them on the outside looking in when it comes to the American League Playoff picture. The AL playoff race isn't exactly tough to get back into, which leaves Detroit's front office still determining their trade deadline route.
If Detroit decides to sell, then Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report believes that Flaherty is a buy-low trade candidate for Scott Harris.
Tigers' Jack Flaherty Tabbed as Buy-Low Trade Candidate
All the rumors with the Tigers leading into the trade deadline will be surrounding Tarik Skubal. The two-time AL Cy Young Award winner is going to be highly coveted, with a potential big return for Detroit. Kelly believes that Flaherty is someone a team might take a chance on despite his struggles in 2026, like he did with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024.
"Perhaps if a team trades for Flaherty, he'll struggle the way he did after being acquired by the Orioles in 2023, when he went 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA over 34.2 innings. Alternatively, he could have the type of impact he did for the Dodgers in 2024, when he went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 starts for a team he eventually helped to win the World Series,'' Kelly wrote.
The problem this time around for Flaherty is that he has not shown any signs of figuring things out this season so far. In 17 starts, he's just 2-8 with a 4.60 ERA in 76.1 innings. There are not going to be teams lining up to take those numbers on.
Detroit opened a six-game homestand leading into the All-Star break with a 6-2 victory over the Athletics at home on Tuesday night. It's the Tigers' third straight win, which keeps them within striking distance for the AL Central Division and wild-card races. It creates more decisions for the front office.
If Detroit decides to sell, Harris will be fielding several calls and if Flaherty does draw interest, then getting out from that contract, no matter what the return is, should be something the front office considers. However, the next couple of weeks will determine the path Detroit decides to go down.
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Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.