Jack Flaherty trade ideas after the Lucas Giolito trade

Jack Flaherty trade idea No. 4) Rangers

Teams can always use more pitching. That is the case with the Texas Rangers. Despite spending big on the rotation the past two offseasons and acquiring Aroldis Chapman a month ago, the team could still use more pitching. Their bullpen ERA (4.77) is fourth worst in the league and their team ERA (4.19) is middle of the pack, 15th overall. They could use some help in the rotation and bullpen.

Jack Flaherty could slot in as the 4th or 5th starter for them, either before or after Dane Dunning. Flaherty's acquisition could also allow the Rangers to go to a 6-man rotation, as their starters have combined for the second-most innings thus far (576.1 innings). In the playoffs, Flaherty would be a great piggyback starter, or a starter overall should he finish the season strong.

In return, the Cardinals could ask for quite a bit. The Rangers currently have 6 players in the top 100. The organization appears to be very fond of Jack Leiter, as they pushed him to AA in his first season in 2022. It's possible the Cardinals could get him, although his stats aren't very strong (5.51 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 1.97 strikeout-to-walk ratio).

St. Louis may be more interested in Brock Porter or Owen White. White, a 23-year-old righty who was drafted out of high school in 2018, has quite the arsenal. He throws a four-seamer that can touch the upper-90s and a slider that sits in the mid-80s that has great movement on it. His strikeout numbers are above league average, and he does a strong job at limiting walks. He is MLB-ready. Should the Cardinals snag Owen White, it's a guarantee they'll need to include a reliever in the package.

Brock Porter was drafted out of high school just last year and has quite the high school resume. The Rangers broke records with their fourth-round bonus offer of $3.7 million. His two primary pitches are a very strong fastball and a pace-changing changeup. In 16 starts this year, he has a 2.55 ERA, .153 batting average against, and has struck out 68 batters in just 53 innings. His control could improve, but that may come with age.