In a move to strengthen their starting rotation and maintain their lead in the American League East, the Baltimore Orioles acquired right-hander Jack Flaherty from the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. The Orioles, with a low payroll and a deep pool of prospects, decided to make a move at the trade deadline without parting ways with their top-ranked minor leaguers.
With a number of young starters who lack experience pitching down the stretch, the Orioles recognized the need for additional arms to handle the innings load. General manager Mike Elias expressed the team’s intention to seek pitching help of all kinds, given injuries and fatigue in their relief corps.
Flaherty, a 27-year-old right-hander, comes to Baltimore with a 7-6 record and a 4.43 ERA from his time with the Cardinals, who have struggled this season and find themselves at the bottom of the National League Central. In addition to Flaherty, St. Louis also dealt left-hander Jordan Montgomery to Texas in a separate trade.
To acquire Flaherty, the Orioles parted with infielder César Prieto, left-hander Drew Rom, and right-hander Zack Showalter. Prieto, ranked as the Orioles’ No. 16 prospect by MLB Pipeline, showcased his talent with a .317 batting average in 27 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season. Meanwhile, Rom, ranked No. 18, posted a 7-6 record with a 5.34 ERA for Norfolk. Showalter, a 19-year-old pitcher, impressed with a 2.37 ERA while playing for Class A Delmarva.
While the Orioles acknowledged the possibility of trading some of their more highly touted prospects, they ultimately decided on a smaller move, holding on to their eight prospects ranked in baseball’s top 100.
Elias highlighted the strength of the Orioles’ prospect list, which made it challenging for other teams to strike deals involving their top talents. He emphasized that the team carefully evaluated each potential trade opportunity, leading to the last-minute decision to acquire Flaherty from the Cardinals.
With Flaherty’s addition, the Orioles hope to reinforce their pitching staff for the remainder of the season as they aim to secure their spot in the playoffs and make a deep run in pursuit of a World Series title.
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