The Jack Flaherty question facing Scott Harris and Tigers

With the Tigers fading in the playoff race and the trade deadline on the horizon, "this is at least defining them as sellers," says Doug Karsch. "They can decide that, indeed, the assets that they have should be moved."

The best among those -- outside of Tarik Skubal -- is probably Jack Flaherty, a Comeback Player of the Year candidate pitching on a one-year, $14 million deal. Flaherty has a 3.01 ERA and ranks third in the majors in strikeout-to-walk ratio through 13 starts. He had a start cut short by a back injury last week, but returned to throw five shutout innings against the Astros on Saturday.

And if the Tigers make him available, "he should have a price tag that nets you something young and full of potential. He should be moved for somebody’s very good prospect," says Karsch.

"I don't know if he’s going to get you an elite prospect, but I think Flaherty can get you somebody inside of baseball’s top 50 prospects, maybe. The way he has pitched, what he has found here in Detroit, I have hopes that he can be cashed in for something that we can be excited about."

What the Tigers clearly can't afford is "an Eduardo Rodriguez situation" where he isn't traded at the deadline despite widespread interest and then walks for nothing in free agency.

Gator says that "the question you have to ask yourself as a Tigers fan -- and that you would hope Scott Harris is asking himself is -- are the Tigers better off down the road if they have Jack Flaherty and Tarik Skubal together if they lock them both up?"

"If you believe that, do you consider signing him to a three-year extension for $60 million so you have your 1-2 combo with Skubal and Flaherty moving forward and then next season, when Jackson Jobe is in the rotation, you’ve got a pretty good trio?

"Or, do you simply strike while the iron’s hot right now and try to get the most that you can for Jack Flaherty? And it has to be a position player, there’s no question, because the Tigers just don't have enough in that lineup."

If they're leaning toward the latter, Gator says the Tigers should hold out for one of MLB's top-30 prospect in return: "If that player isn’t available to you and all you’re getting is middling prospects, guys that have upside but you’re not convinced they’re going to be stars, wouldn't you be better suited to just re-sign him?"