Angels Rumors: MLB Insider Thinks Halos Should Trade for Struggling Former Cy Young Candidate Pitcher
As the 2023 MLB trade deadline approaches, the Los Angeles Angels find themselves right in the thick of the playoff hunt. It's a spot that the team hasn't been in recently but they seem like they want to make a real run for a potential playoff spot. The Angels have two of the best players in baseball on their roster in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtnai so being aggressive this summer could be a smart idea.
One thing the Angels need is pitching help. Ohtani can't do it alone so the team could go out and grab another arm for their starting rotation to help him. ESPN senior MLB writer David Schoenfield threw out an interesting name for the Halos and one that does make a ton of sense.
"So, let’s add a starting pitcher to a rotation that ranks in the bottom half in the majors in ERA -- not horrible, but not exactly World Series- caliber. Los Angeles could be in the running for some of the top trade candidates, but a weak farm system will make it difficult to be high bidders. The Angels could roll the dice on Harvard-Westlake High School grad Flaherty, who has been maddeningly inconsistent for St. Louis. He was wild early (13 walks his first two starts), allowed 10 runs on May 4, posted a 2.06 ERA over six starts, then allowed six runs in back-to-back outings. Still, he could be an interesting roll of the dice."
Flaherty could be a good option for the Angels and give them another arm to work with. While he has been inconsistent at times this year, he has also looked really good at other points during the season. Maybe working under a new coaching staff and a change of scenery could be what he needs to bring out the consistency.
Flaherty has posted an ERA of 4.60 over 16 games pitched this season and he has added in 84 strikeouts over 86 innings. The Cardinals sit at the bottom of the NL Central division currently without any real avenue to improve so them being sellers at the deadline would be in their best interest.
The Angels did get a close up view of Flaherty this season, as he gave up 10 runs in 2.1 innings to them back in May. This could be the thing that keeps Los Angeles from making a move but the upside of Flaherty is there so maybe the Halos take a risk. He is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year so if the pairing doesn't work out then the Angels can just move on from him.
No matter what the Angels do they need to do something. With the impending free agency of Ohtani coming this winter, it's imperative that the organization goes all-in on this season to maximize the window that they have.
