Giants Predicted To Sign Ex-Cardinals Homegrown Star To Five-Year, $100 Million Deal

The former St. Louis hurler is due for a significant pay raise

Jul 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have gained a reputation over the last decade for unwisely moving on from former homegrown talents that thrive elsewhere.

Perhaps the Cardinals front office's most significant mistake over the last decade involved trading Zac Gallen and Sandy Alcantara -- two Cy Young-caliber hurlers -- to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Marcell Ozuna.

Much like Gallen and Alcantara, another former homegrown asset has found success outside of St. Louis and is poised for the most generous payday of his career.

"Contract Prediction: Five years, $100 million ," Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter wrote Thursday. "Jack Flaherty is one of the more polarizing players on the market this offseason, as his 2024 performance and age suggest he should secure a nine-figure payday, but his injury history and lackluster numbers in 2023 give some reason for pause. "

Flaherty logged a 41-31 record with a 3.58 ERA, 706-to-242 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .240 batting average against and a 1.19 WHIP throughout seven seasons with the Cardinals.

"The 29-year-old settled for a one-year, $14 million deal last winter, and he should have no problem exceeding the $17 million AAV that Frankie Montas received on his new deal with the New York Mets," Reuter continued. "With the ever-climbing cost of starting pitching, a $20 million AAV looks like his floor, and the San Francisco Giants are looking for a Blake Snell replacement to slot alongside Logan Webb at the top of the rotation. Predicted Landing Spot: San Francisco Giants."

After winning the World Series this year with his childhood favorite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, it would be something to see Flaherty sign with the National League West-rival Giants the following season.

Could Flaherty betray the Dodgers and sign with the Giants this offseason as he looks to reel in a significant, multi-year deal for the first time in his career?

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