It's the Major League Baseball trade deadline, which means the Atlanta Braves are on the forefront of everyone's radar.
The Braves made their high-stakes position player move on Monday night, when they reunited with 2021 World Series MVP Jorge Soler, who was in the first season of a three-year, $42 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.
The Soler deal was a bit of a stunner, but it was also a reminder that general manager Alex Anthopoulos is never to be taken lightly at this time of year. And with the Braves still chasing after pitching help, any name may be on the table at this moment.
That includes the Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty, who many believe may end up being the best starter dealt at this year's deadline. ESPN's David Schoenfield named the Braves one of the "best fits" for Flaherty before the 6 p.m. deadline.
Schoenfield's reasoning, beyond Flaherty's considerable talents, included the fact that Reynaldo López's calf injury suffered on Sunday "could also impact Flaherty's destination."
López reportedly hopes to avoid the injured list, but the Braves' rotation as a whole has its fair share of injury concerns. Max Fried is still working his way back from forearm neuritis, while Chris Sale is on track for his biggest workload since 2017.
Adding Flaherty, 28, would be a huge boost to the Braves for the rest of this season. The longtime St. Louis Cardinals starter is having a phenomenal bounce-back campaign after signing a one-year deal with Detroit.
With a 7-5 record, 2.98 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 106.2 innings, Flaherty would be a great fit in a lot of rotations. But to the Braves specifically, he could mean the difference between scrapping for a Wild Card spot and becoming a legitimate threat to win the pennant.
The clock is ticking, and competition over the phones is sure to be fierce. But no one will be surprised if Anthopoulos manages to get a Flaherty deal over the finish line.
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