Pitcher Yankees eyed at trade deadline could be in play this offseason

Could the Yankees go after Jack Flaherty again?
General manager Brian Cashman tried to acquire right-hander Jack Flaherty from the Tigers at this year’s trade deadline. Reports came out that the two sides failed to come to a deal because of the Yankees’ concern about a lower back injury with Flaherty — which Cashman denied — and the veteran ultimately landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan suggests that the Yankees could be in on this year’s World Series champion pitcher again.
“If the Washington Nationals decide to spend on an anchor for their rotation, Flaherty could make sense,” Passan writes. “And the Yankees — who killed a deal for Flaherty at the trade deadline out of concerns about his back — could be in again.”
Flaherty pitched 162 innings in 2024 between the Tigers and Dodgers, putting up a 3.17 ERA with 194 over 28 starts.
“I think Jack Flaherty is an exceptional starter and I had difficulty matching up with the Tigers on Jack Flaherty,” Cashman said after the trade deadline. “I certainly would have loved to have him as a choice for us. Unfortunately you get a lot of different reports going out there and at the end of the day I would have brought Jack Flaherty in if I could have matched up and I had difficulty matching up. And that was the reason I don’t have him. So it’s as simple as that.”
Flaherty missed one start and the All-Star break due to a sore back and received two cortisone shots. The 28-year-old was a free agent last year and signed with Detroit on a a one-year, $14-million contract.
(NJ Advance Media’s Randy Miller contributed to this report.)
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Bridget Hyland may be reached at [email protected].