6. Jack Flaherty
He’s finally back, or at least sort of? After years of injuries and setbacks, Jack Flaherty is finally consistently pitching in the Cardinals starting rotation again. St. Louis will have multiple tough decisions to make in the upcoming future, with Adam Wainwright, Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery all becoming UFAs after this season. This season hasn’t made any of these decisions easier, with the team struggling under .500 all season. While Flaherty’s has posted a non-glamorous 4.64 ERA over 73.2 innings, we have seen some flashes of the old ace we knew from 2019. In fact, six of Flaherty’s 14 starts have resulted in an appearance of five or more innings with one run or less allowed.
We also have to remember Flaherty hasn’t made 18 plus starts in a season since 2019. Clearly he’s getting back to form. The stuff is there, it’s just about establishing consistency moving forward for the 27-year-old righty. In a rather thin starting pitcher market, Flaherty would be an awesome arm to add to a team looking for a right-handed starter with playoff experience.
5. C.J. Cron
While it’s been a rather cool season filled with injuries, C.J. Cron remains one of the best power-hitting first basemen in baseball. Posting 57 homers over his last two seasons with the Rockies, Cron would make for a strong addition to any team that is looking to add a power bat to their lineup. Currently, Cron is sitting with a .228 average with six homers over his first 136 plate appearances this season, making him an awesome buy-low candidate at the deadline.
Cron is a pending UFA this offseason and will likely be a part of the impending fire sale set to take place with this last-place Rockies team. We put Cron so high on our board because of his past two seasons in Colorado. The offensive numbers are truly special, and it’s clear something is off with Cron’s health this year. He’s frequently been on and off the IL nursing a persistent back issue, with Colorado hoping the first baseman can return to full health soon. If he Cron can get back to 100%, he’d be an awesome addition of offensive production to any playoff contender.