ST. LOUIS — The Baltimore Orioles are finalizing a deal for St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty, reports say.
According to ESPN writer Jeff Passan, the Cardinals have traded the 27-year-old to the Orioles. St. Louis is receiving infielder Cesar Prieto and pitchers Zack Showalter and Drew Rom.
Flaherty was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 34th overall selection in the 2014 MLB Draft.
In 2017, he began the season with the Springfield Cardinals, the team’s Double-A affiliate. He posted a 7-2 record with an ERA of 1.42 in ten starts. He was then promoted to the Memphis Redbirds and had a 7-2 record with a 2.74 ERA.
He made his MLB debut on Sept. 1, 2017, against the San Francisco Giants.
He made the Cardinals Opening Day roster in 2018 but was optioned to Memphis shortly after the season began. Flaherty was recalled again after Adam Wainwright was placed on the 60-day disabled list.
Flaherty ended his rookie season with an 8-9 record with a 3.34 ERA. He struck out 182 batters in 151 innings pitched.
He ended the 2021 season with a 9-2 record and appeared in 17 games. In 2022, he dealt with a right shoulder injury that decreased his playing time.
This is the second trade the Cardinsl have made today. They traded shortstop Paul DeJong to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for 24-year-old minor league pitcher Matt Svanson.
Right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks, 26, was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday in exchange for minor league pitchers Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein, who both will be assigned to Triple-A Memphis.
Robberse, 21, pitched in the MLB Futures Game earlier this month. The Netherlands native was signed by the Blue Jays in July 2019. In 18 starts, went 3-5 with a 4.06 ERA and 86 strikeouts.
Kloffenstein, 22, was the Blue Jays third-round draft pick in 2018. He made 17 starts this season for the Fisher Cats at New Hampshire, going 5-5 with a 3.24 ERA. He struck out 105 batters this season.
Hicks, 26, was drafted by St. Louis in 2015 and was 1-6 with a 3.67 ERA and 8 saves this season in 40 games. He will become a free agent following the 2023 season.
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