Cardinals Reportedly Agreed To Trade Hurler To AL East Contender Before Deal Fell Through

Did the Cardinals make the right move by trading away one of the club's starters?

The St. Louis Cardinals possibly could have made a different move ahead of the 2023 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline.

St. Louis was one of the biggest sellers in baseball and traded away shortstop Paul DeJong along with pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty as the season hasn't gone as expected. Flaherty was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles, but there reportedly was a deal in place with the Tampa Bay Rays that fell through, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. 

“As the Orioles and Rays brace for their four-game showdown at Camden Yards starting Thursday, here's an interesting twist: The Rays agreed with the Cardinals on a trade for right-hander Jack Flaherty in the final hours before the Aug. 1 deadline," Rosenthal said. "But the deal collapsed in the medical review stage, according to sources briefed on the discussions, and the Cardinals dealt Flaherty to the Orioles instead. The medical issue presumably was not with Flaherty, a potential free agent who will turn 28 on Oct. 15." 

Flaherty was drafted in the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline by the Cardinals and spent his entire professional career with the organization before being traded to Baltimore this season. The 27-year-old has struggled since joining the Orioles and has compiled a 7.16 ERA in six starts, but likely will be a highly sought-after free agent when the 2023 season comes to a close. 

Tampa Bay and Baltimore both are battling for the top spot in the American League East and likely will make deep postseason runs. Flaherty likely will help the Orioles but things could've been very different if the trade didn't fall through.

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