Ex-Cardinals Fan Favorite Due For 'Massive Contract' This Winter; Is Reunion Logical?

St. Louis needs to bolster the rotation this offseason

Jul 6, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (22) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images / Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals did everything they could to turn things around in 2024 after posting an embarrassing 71-91 record last year but sadly, this season hasn't been much better.

With only 19 games left to play this year, the Cardinals are 6 1/2 behind the final National League Wild Card spot and likely won't make the playoffs for a second straight season.

Despite retooling the rotation last winter, St. Louis will still be in the market for quality starting pitchers this offseason. A former Cardinals hurler, who's on an expiring contract, could be a solution.

"Go ahead and add him (Jack Flaherty) to the list of Cardinals-developed pitchers who have moved on to excel elsewhere," St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeff Gordon wrote Tuesday morning. "Flaherty, 28, has put himself on track for a massive contract in free agency."

Flaherty has posted a 12-6 record with a 2.86 ERA, 180-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .220 batting average against and a 1.01 WHIP in 148 innings pitched between his time playing for the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers this season.

The soon-to-be 29-year-old has been one of the league's top pitchers all season and was arguably the most-coveted starting pitcher at this summer's trade deadline.

The only starting pitcher in the Cardinals rotation who certainly isn't going anywhere anytime soon is right-handed pitcher Sonny Gray. Every other starter either has a club option for 2025 or has performed so poorly that they might be worth trading with only one year remaining on their contract anyway.

Perhaps Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak will convince the organization to spend more this winter, giving the team a significantly better chance of having a successful season in 2025. If the franchise elects to spend more than usual this offseason, re-signing Flaherty wouldn't be a terrible idea to consider.

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