Jack Flaherty Hug Watch hints Tigers trades could happen quickly

Despite some arguments to the contrary, it's more than likely that Jack Flaherty will be moving away from Detroit on or before July 30. We've said it before, but it bears repeating: Flaherty is the perfect trade candidate for the Tigers. He came into this year to a less-than-enthusiastic reaction from Tigers fans, given his rough 2023 season, but it's a credit to both him and Detroit's pitching staff that he's turned into one of the the best starters in the American League.

He would be out the door again at the end of this season after his one-year contract expires, so again — Flaherty is the perfect trade candidate.

Multiple teams have already expressed interest in him — Dodgers, Orioles, Phillies, Astros — but he hasn't been moved quite yet. Still, Flaherty's presence in the Tigers dugout last night, during a Tarik Skubal start, did give some signs that a deal is being worked on behind the scenes.

He entered the dugout and there were hugs all around, which sort of screams, "It was fun guys, thanks for having me," doesn't it?

Did Jack Flaherty's reaction in the Tigers dugout Saturday hint that a trade is coming soon?

Bob Nightengale did note that the Tigers are willing to hold onto Flaherty and extend him the qualifying offer at the end of the season if they don't hear a deal that's good enough to make the trade. This seems a bit like war gaming on Detroit's part, as the threat of shutting a deal down entirely would certainly scare teams into upping their offers. If the Orioles are actually willing to engage for Flaherty, there's not doubt they'll have the prospect capital necessary to secure him.

It would be sort of shocking if Flaherty doesn't get traded, but it also wouldn't necessarily hurt the Tigers if they didn't make a deal. They'd be able to take him through the rest of the season and either keep him through 2025 if he accepted the hefty qualifying offer, or they'd get a compensatory draft pick if he didn't.

Still, the Tigers' biggest piece is Flaherty, unless someone makes a once-in-a-generation offer for Skubal. The dugout hugs certainly seemed like the closing of a book, and it wouldn't be surprising if a deal comes down soon.