Cardinals Rival Seen As 'Best Match' To Acquire Ex-St. Louis Fan-Favorite

One former Cardinals fan-favorite could end up being moved this summer

Jun 21, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) throws a pitch against the Chicago White Sox in the second inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals will be looking to add this summer but they won't be the only ones.

St. Louis has been one of the top teams in baseball over the last month and seems like a team that is gearing up to make a run down the stretch. The Cardinals have plenty of talent but will be looking to add even more this summer.

The Cardinals' biggest need is in the starting rotation and there will be multiple options out there that could help them out. One player who has been floated as a possible option is former fan-favorite Jack Flaherty.

He has been tearing it up with the Detroit Tigers this season but could end up being moved as the Tigers are expected to be sellers.

While a reunion with the Cardinals would make sense, the rival Milwaukee Brewers actually were called the "best match" for Flaherty by ESPN's Jeff Passan.

"Best match: Jack Flaherty," Passan said. "As pleasant a surprise as the emergence of Tobias Myers over the past month has been, Milwaukee doesn't want to go into October without fortifying its rotation. Crochet would also make sense for the Brewers to address that need -- and they certainly like him -- but Milwaukee can make the case that Flaherty is every bit as good of a fit at a fraction of the trade return.

"The 28-year-old right-hander has been brilliant for Detroit this season, with the third-highest strikeout rate and the fourth-lowest walk rate in baseball. Flaherty is back to throwing first-pitch strikes, and his stuff getting swings and misses is reminiscent of the heater he went on during the second half of the 2019 season."

St. Louis has turned things around but still is 5 1/2 games behind the Brewers in the National League Central standings for the top spot. If the Brewers were to land Flaherty, that would just make things more difficult for the Cardinals.

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