Jack Flaherty says the Yankees did not shut the door on trading for him in 2024

The New York Yankees can acknowledge multiple reasons why they did not win the 2024 World Series, but the most haunting one might involve someone who was not even on the team. Management’s reported decision to back out of a potential Jack Flaherty trade with the Detroit Tigers had big consequences, the kind that carried over into the playoffs and possibly the World Series.

Injuries devastated the Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitching staff in 2024, forcing them to get aggressive at the deadline. They capitalized on the Yankees’ reluctance and completed a move to acquire Flaherty. The right-handed starting pitcher staggered for much of the postseason, recording a 7.36 ERA in five games, but he allowed skipper Dave Roberts to stretch out his bullpen a bit more.

In a hotly-contested five-game Fall Classic, a burnt-out reliever group could have conceivably made the difference. The 22 innings of work Flaherty gave LA in October helped position the club for its title run. There are more obvious causes for New York’s unsuccessful World Series pursuit, including Aaron Judge’s continued big-game slumps, managerial mistakes and inexplicable defensive lapses, but passing on Flaherty might have created an unfortunate ripple effect.

Well, Yankees fans can take some solace in knowing that the organization did not merely dismiss the idea of striking a deal with the Tigers. General manager Brian Cashman was willing to accept the medical risks for the right price.

Yankees were still trying to work something out for Flaherty

“They were still trying to trade for me as {the deadline} was going on,” Jack Flaherty told the “Foul Territory” podcast. “They had still been trying to make just a different trade. Like, ‘we don’t love the medicals, but we’re still trying to make a trade.’ I was like ‘okay, whatever. I’m in LA now.’ And then ending up against them in the World Series was kind of a full circle thing.”

This revelation corroborates what Cashman has said regarding negotiations. New York obviously considered it much too risky to surrender high-quality prospects for a rental who had experienced struggles and injury issues in the past. The Yankees breezed to the American League pennant without Flaherty, so it is unfair to bury Cashman or the organization for the move.

Preventing LA from landing the talent would certainly have been nice, but no one knows how the Boys in Blue might have reacted if New York went through with a Flaherty trade. Andrew Friedman could have pivoted or simply relied on the team’s vast wealth of talent to carry the day. Who is to say the Dodgers’ bullpen would have imploded in the first place?

Dave Roberts pushed all the right buttons, and although that job was made easier by Flaherty’s presence, he still possessed the acumen to effectively navigate the obstacles in LA’s way. Though, one cannot help but ponder the alternative scenario.

“It would have been fun playing against the Dodgers and going against them,” Jack Flaherty said. “{But} I’m happy with the way things turned out.”