After another strong start, Flaherty awaits future ahead of Deadline

CLEVELAND -- The first person to meet Jack Flaherty in the Tigers dugout after his sixth and final inning Wednesday night was pitching coach Chris Fetter, who gave him a firm handshake. It’s the signal manager A.J. Hinch uses to let starting pitchers know their outing is over, but it could have doubled as a larger-scale gesture.

Flaherty signed a one-year contract with the Tigers last offseason to get back to his old form. 18 starts later, he looks like the electric starter who fronted the Cardinals rotation a few years ago, including in his no-decision in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Guardians.

With an unearned run on three hits over six innings with two walks and six strikeouts, he lowered his ERA to 2.95, eighth-lowest among AL starters. Only Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes (2.38) has a lower ERA among Major League starters on an expiring contract.

The Orioles traded for Burnes last offseason to fortify their rotation for a deep postseason run, sending two young players to Milwaukee in return. Now, it’s the Tigers’ turn to see what contenders -- some of whom had scouts in the stands at Progressive Field -- will give up for two-plus months of Flaherty.

Flaherty is ready for whatever follows. He went through it last year when the Cardinals traded him to the O’s.

“I don’t think I handled it very well last year,” Flaherty said. “Going through it last year and then taking this, you just control what you can control, one day at a time, go out and win games for this team. These guys are awesome. I’ve enjoyed every single second here. Just an unbelievable group of guys.”

Since getting a second injection to address issues in his lower back at the start of the month, Flaherty has made three starts, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits over 17 2/3 innings with five walks and 18 strikeouts. He has done everything he could to demonstrate the back is no longer an issue.

His velocity was down across his arsenal Tuesday, including a fastball that averaged 92.8 miles per hour, compared to his season average of 93.6. But that same fastball produced seven of his 13 swinging strikes and six of his 15 called strikes against a Guardians lineup that is adept at fouling off tough pitches and putting others in play. He mixed sliders and curveballs liberally, and threw in a changeup for good measure, at one point sequencing four different pitches consecutively in one at-bat.

“Third time I’ve faced them this year, not too long since the last one. You just have to find different ways to get guys out,” Flaherty said. “My stuff was OK, but I was able to grind through it.”

Flaherty is in line to make one more start before next Tuesday’s Trade Deadline, likely Monday against these same Guardians at Comerica Park. But it’s possible Wednesday was his final start as a Tiger. Even if president of baseball operations Scott Harris waits into the final hours Tuesday, as is his track record, interested teams might not want Flaherty to start so close to a decision. Similarly, Tigers officials could decide the outing isn’t worth the injury risk with a potential prospect package in the balance.

Even so, it’s more complicated than waiting for offers to come in and picking out the best. There’s another option: Hold onto Flaherty through the season, make him a qualifying offer of one year at the mean salary of MLB’s 125 highest-paid players -- it was just over $20 million last year -- then get a compensation pick in next year’s Draft if he signs elsewhere. The pick would be at the end of the first round if Flaherty signs for $50 million or more total, or second round if he signs for less than $50 million.

Considering the Tigers drafted shortstop Kevin McGonigle, MLB Pipeline’s No. 63 prospect in baseball, with a supplemental first-round pick last year, it isn’t a bad fallback if Flaherty stays healthy. Still, there’s an expectation they can do better on the trade market.

Flaherty is ready for whatever, moreso than last year. He controlled his destination as a free agent, chose a spot where he could improve and did it. Now, it’s out of his hands.

“I’m just experienced with it, one time going through it, getting your name thrown around in a bunch of different scenarios,” Flaherty said. “I’m just in a better place mentally this year than I was last year.”