So, this latest bit of Cubs trade rumors sure is a tad bit strange as George Ofman is hearing that the Cubs are interested in making a deal for Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty. I mean, if you’ve watched the Cubs at all throughout the 2024 season you definitely know the team needs pitching help, but that would ideally come from upgrades to the bullpen.
However, according to Ofman the Cubs have Flaherty on their radar with the trade deadline almost a month away.
Flaherty, 28, signed a one-year, $14 million contract with the Tigers this past offseason and so far he’s been brilliant pitching for Detroit. The right-handed pitcher recently tossed 5.2 innings against the White Sox on Friday, when Flaherty only allowed one earned run on five hits, while striking out eight and walking two.
Overall in 14 starts for the Tigers this season Flaherty has recorded a 2.92 ERA, 0.97 WHIP with an incredible 108/13 strikeout/walk ratio in 83.1 innings. Flaherty had a rough stretch in April, when he gave up 15 earned runs in four starts, but since April 30 through his start Friday against the White Sox Flaherty has been spectacular, posting a 1.83 ERA in 9 starts. During that stretch he’s had 72 strikeouts to just 9 walks in 54 innings of work.
So that’s all cool, but why would the Cubs want to use some of their farm depth on starting pitching this year when the rotation has actually been the team’s strength? Even with Shōta Imanaga’s blowup against the Mets on Friday, when he surrendered 10 earned runs in 3 innings, the Cubs enter Sunday with a 3.57 ERA from the starting rotation which is 8th best in MLB.
Yet, you know the saying, you can never have enough pitching. And well, acquiring a reliable starter like Flaherty could be a roundabout way to help address the bullpen. Let’s say the Cubs do in fact trade for Flaherty, then you don’t have to depend on Kyle Hendricks being good in case he falls off again. Then, you’d hope for Ben Brown to return healthy from his neck issue and hopefully he can take over one of the bullpen spots.
Looking even further ahead, let’s say the Cubs get all their pitchers healthy, then Javier Assad could be pushed to the bullpen as well, while the starting rotation remains strong with Justin Steele, Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Flaherty and Jordan Wicks.
Does this make complete sense to me? Not completely, but as someone who has been advocating for Brown to get a chance as the closer, trading for a good starting pitcher opens up that possibility later this summer. Plus, it’s never a bad thing to add good depth to your pitching staff. I’m all for it as strange as it first was to see the Cubs and Flaherty mentioned in the same sentence at this time of the year.
