Yankees Reportedly “Opt Out” of Jack Flaherty Trade After Medical Review

The Yankees and Tigers had a “preliminary” trade deal that would have sent the right-hander. Jack Flaherty to New York before the trade deadline earlier today, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, but the Yankees ultimately took the lead on the deal after reviewing the right-hander’s medical records. It’s unclear what the Yankees would trade with Detroit for Flaherty if the deal goes through. The righty, of course, ended up being traded to the Dodgers just before the deadline.

Flaherty, 28, was long expected to be one of the most coveted starters on the market this summer after a sensational start to the season with Detroit in which he posted a 2.95 ERA and 3.11 FIP through eighteen starts. However, he has not been fully fit this year, as he missed the start due to back discomfort earlier this month. He looked good with a 1.53 ERA and 18 strikeouts in three starts since then, but apparently the Yankees still had concerns after reviewing his medication. The club was rumored to be in “extensive trade talks” with the Tigers after Detroit was scratched from his scheduled start yesterday, but ultimately no deal was reached.

It’s not really surprising that New York would have a shot in some way in terms of trading injured pitchers. As Rosenthal notes, the club has traded right-handed Frankie Montas to a deal with the As at the 2022 trade deadline despite lingering concerns about his shoulder, and Montas ended up struggling for a while with the club before undergoing surgery. Given the fact that the Yankees were said to be planning to buy the southpaw Nestor Cortes before the deadline if they were to land Flaherty, it would be too risky for the club to deal with a strong arm to make room for a striker they were worried about to some degree. The Yankees instead focused their attention on the bullpen today, moving to lefty Caleb Ferguson while adding privileges Mark Leiter Jr. again Another De Los Santos.

In contrast, the Dodgers have a deep staff of lead-in rotation options Tyler Glasnow again Clayton Kershaw with additional arms such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto again Walker Buehler expected to return to IL later this year. Given the club’s deep group of starters, it’s understandable why they’d be willing to risk stomach injuries in acquiring a recruiting arm like Flaherty. The addition of Flaherty is combined with the addition of a center fielder Kevin Kiermaier in a deal with the Blue Jays today to bolster the team’s depth after the Dodgers added Tommy Edman again Michael Kopech in the trade of the three teams yesterday, as well as the player who plays in the middle Amed Rosario by separate agreement.

According to Rosenthal, the word spread throughout the team that the Yankees had concerns about Flaherty’s treatment during the final season, although the only other team to see those treatments themselves was the Dodgers. It is not clear how much the other offers for Flaherty’s services have been affected by the concerns from the Bronx about his treatment, although it is important to note that Jon Heyman of the New York Post highlighted the Red Sox alongside the Dodgers and the Yankees as one of the teams he is known for. interested in Flaherty. Boston’s only established first pitch acquisition ended up being a DFA’d veteran James Paxton as they instead chose to expand their bullpen Lucas Sims again Luis Garcia alongside the addition of a young, unproven starter Quinn Priester.