Not long ago, the New York Mets were viewed as potential sellers at the trade deadline. But they might actually be buyers after a terrific month of June. Could president of baseball operations David Stearns target Detroit Tigers hurler Jack Flaherty to bolster New York’s starting rotation?
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden shared “difference-making” trade proposals for each National League team in the Wild Card hunt. Here’s what he put together for the Amazins since he sees the rotation as the club’s biggest need:
Mets receive: right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty
Tigers receive: catching prospect Kevin Parada
“The price is going to be steep, but the Mets could part with Parada, a 2022 first-round pick, because he’s blocked behind Francisco Alvarez, who is their long-term catcher,” Bowden said.
Parada is currently in Double-A. The 22-year-old is hitting .208/.286/.362 with seven home runs and 28 RBI in 207 at-bats for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. MLB.com has him ranked as the organization’s ninth-best prospect.
The Mets went 9-19 in May and entered June with a 24-35 record. They’ve righted the ship by going 16-6 over the past month. New York is entering July with a 40-41 record, just two games out of the final National League Wild Card spot.
How Flaherty Could Fit Into the Mets’ Rotation Mix
The back of the Mets’ starting rotation has run into some problems. FanGraphs’ Roster Resource has the club’s top four consisting of Luis Severino, David Peterson, Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana. Tylor Megill had been part of this unit. However, he was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on June 30 after posting a 7.43 ERA over his past five starts.
Kodai Senga hasn’t thrown a regular-season pitch yet in 2024 because of injury, but he’s expected to return soon. According to Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, Senga threw a bullpen on June 30. As long as there are no more setbacks, he should begin a rehab assignment within the next few days.
While that’s encouraging, it still leaves an element of unknown regarding what the Mets can expect from the right-hander down the stretch. That’s where adding someone like Flaherty would benefit the club. He signed a one-year, $14 million deal with Detroit last winter, meaning he wouldn’t be more than a half-season rental.
Flaherty has also been quite effective in 2024. He’s posted a 3.24 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and 115 strikeouts in 89 innings pitched (15 starts).
Flaherty Is ‘Definitely’ Getting Traded by the Deadline
While it’s officially undetermined whether the Tigers will be sellers at the trade deadline, it seems as though Flaherty is destined to be playing for someone else by July 30. During a June 20 appearance on the Foul Territory show, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press said, “Jack Flaherty is definitely gonna be on the move, that’s happening.”
The idea certainly makes sense when looking at the overall situation. Flaherty is producing at a high level on an affordable one-year deal and the Tigers have disappointed. Detroit began the 2024 season by winning its first five games. They’re now 38-46 and in second-to-last place in the American League Central. Detroit is 15 games out of first place and eight games behind the final AL Wild Card spot.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter also ranked Flaherty fourth among his top starting pitchers who could get moved by the deadline. There stands to be plenty of competition for the right-hander in the coming weeks. But if the Mets want to supplement the rotation without committing beyond 2024, Flaherty is a terrific option to pursue.
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