Ex-Cardinals Homegrown Star Predicted To Sign With AL West Club
![Sep 11, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of the 9/11 ribbon on a St. Louis Cardinals hat in the dugout before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images Sep 11, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; A detailed view of the 9/11 ribbon on a St. Louis Cardinals hat in the dugout before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2928,h_1647,x_0,y_5/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_cardinals/01jjq09gvs1kqbw8464e.jpg)
The St. Louis Cardinals made not do too much in free agency before Spring Training.
St. Louis hasn't done much at all this offseason and now there are just about two weeks to go until pitchers and catchers report. The Cardinals may not do much, but a former member of the team should cash in at least.
Former Cardinals homegrown star Jack Flaherty is the top remaining free-agent starting pitcher on the open market. He was drafted in the first round of the 2014 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft and eventually made his big league debut in 2017.
Flaherty spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Cardinals before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 2023. Flaherty showed a lot of upside with St. Louis, but injuries hurt his stint with the team.
He was healthy for the majority of the 2024 season and looked like he put things together. He had a 3.17 ERA across 28 starts with the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, he's looking for a new home.
ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted he will end up landing with the Los Angeles Angels when predicting where the top remaining free agents will land.
"Prediction: Flaherty to the Angels, (Max Scherzer) to the (Atlanta Braves)," Schoenfield said. "The Angels' payroll is about where it was last season but still well below the luxury tax threshold -- and they certainly could use another starting pitcher if they're serious about trying to contend in what could be a wide-open American League West."
Flaherty is the top free-agent starter out there right now. Los Angeles can afford him and Flaherty is from California. Maybe the two sides could come together on a deal.
More MLB: Cardinals Urged To Reunite With $6 Million Hurler After Lost Year