Trade Deadline Showcase Has Solid Pitchers On The Hill

Tigers vs. Blue Jays, 7:07 ET

The All-Star Break is over and we return to the diamond as it is the only real action in town. Sure, we could bet on soccer, or twiddle our thumbs and wait for the Olympics to start, but why wait when we can build our bankroll for Paris or the football season? This is among my favorite times to focus on baseball because of the trade deadline. Last year, when they first introduced the three Wild Card format, I was disappointed by the deadline. This year we are getting a few more teams looking like they will be clear about what they intend to do. Two of them should be in this game as both the Tigers and Blue Jays look like they will be sellers at the deadline. 

The Tigers started the season looking like they would be competitive within the AL Central. That's not the picture they are painting any longer. Even though they are just 47-50 for the season, and within striking distance of .500, they are 12 games back of the Guardians in the division. In the Wild Card, they are seven games back, but they are battling the Royals, Astros, and Rays who are still in front of them for the Wild Card race. That doesn't mention that the Yankees, Twins, and Red Sox are all the top-three in the Wild Card right now. The Tigers offense is playing better than I expected and is up to a .234 batting average for the season. The pitching started off very well, but they cooled down a bit (outside of Tarik Skubal) and now have a 3.95 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Both numbers are good, but I'm not sure they are good enough to carry the team to a postseason berth. Tonight they send out Jack Flaherty to the mound. He was traded last season and might be traded again at this deadline. He is one of the few starting arms that I think could be a very sought after option. He is 6-5 with a 3.13 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Unfortunately, his numbers don't qualify for the league lead. However, he does have 119 strikeouts which is good for 16th overall. He doesn't go deep into games (which is why he doesn't qualify), but in his last six games, he has only allowed more than one earned run once. He faced Toronto once this season and went 6.1 innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs. He did allow two homers in that game. However, overall, he has allowed just nine hits to the Blue Jays in 61 at-bats. He also has pitched better on the road than at home this season. 

TORONTO, ON - JUNE 18: Chris Bassitt #40 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches to the Boston Red Sox during the first inning in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on June 18, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

The Blue Jays are going to trade some people away, the biggest question is who is the biggest name that they get rid of. Most of the talk lately has been that they want to keep Vladimir Guerrero Jr. I can't imagine it makes a lot of sense to trade him unless you can pry away top prospects from another club. They already traded Cavan Biggio to the Dodgers, but he wasn't playing well. Bo Bichette is another former big leaguer's kid that they might look at getting rid of. He is currently listed day-to-day. However, he has struggled lately, so Toronto would probably not get great value for him. The pitching staff is another area that teams might try to pluck people from. Overall, they have a 4.45 ERA, but starters Kevin Gausman, Yusei Kikuchi, and tonight's Chris Bassitt, could all draw interest from clubs. Bassitt is 8-7 for the season with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. While none of these numbers are eye-popping, they are still in the top 75 of all pitchers in the league. Bassitt had an outstanding May and June going a combined 67 innings and allowing just 16 earned runs. In May, his ERA was 2.40, and then went even lower in June with a 1.95 ERA. July hasn't been as clean as he has gone 10 innings and allowed seven earned runs. He has also issued 8 walks. He issued 20 in the previous 67 innings. He has not faced the Tigers this season, but they've hit him well in the past, going 20-for-58 with eight extra-base hits. 

This could be a bit of an audition for both starters, but who knows if they want to leave their respective teams. I have to imagine that most players do what they say and just go out there and perform. Sure, it has to creep into their heads a bit. Either way, we know they are both having good seasons. I think that Flaherty is having a better one right now though. I'll back the Tigers to win through five in this one as I think Flaherty will outperform Bassitt. 

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