One of the best things the Atlanta Braves have going for them this season is their starting pitching. But that doesn't mean the rotation can't be improved.
In fact, according to one of the most popular media personalities in Major League Baseball right now, there's an obvious trade the Braves need to make for a certain starting pitcher.
Erik Kratz, 11-year MLB veteran and current co-host of "Foul Territory," said on Thursday that one pitcher that many believe will be available makes the most sense for the Braves at this year's deadline.
"You want to get the most? You go to the Braves and say, 'What do you want for Jack Flaherty?'" Kratz said on Thursday's episode of F.T. "He's not going in front of (Chris) Sale or Max Fried right now, but what he's doing translates to the playoffs."
The discussion originally stemmed from Kratz and co-hosts Scott Braun and A.J. Pierzynski referencing an article by The Athletic's Jim Bowden, in which Flaherty was listed as one of the six starting pitchers most likely to be traded.
Flaherty's Detroit Tigers are floundering, and with his contract set to expire, it makes sense to get young talent for him before he bounces in free agency. Plus, Flaherty is enjoying a resurgent season, posting a 2.92 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 83.1 innings, so his value has skyrocketed.
Often, around the game, former players have the pulse of what front offices around the league are thinking. Perhaps the Braves and Tigers have not yet made contact on a Flaherty trade, but it's clear to Kratz that the deal makes sense for both sides.
And the move makes even more sense when you look at who the Braves are chasing in the standings: the Philadelphia Phillies. Their rotation has been the best in the league all season, and the Braves lack a clear fourth starter going into a postseason series, which Philadelphia clearly has in Cristopher Sánchez.
If Atlanta wants to avenge their back-to-back playoff defeats at the hands of those Phillies, it certainly wouldn't be a bad idea to add an arm of Flaherty's caliber. And other teams are sure to want in on the action, so there's no time like the present to start hammering out a deal.
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