Report: Cardinals nearly traded Jack Flaherty to Orioles' AL East rival

The Baltimore Orioles acquired Jack Flaherty from the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 1, but their main competition for the AL East crown attempted to acquire Flaherty first, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

"The Rays agreed with the Cardinals on a trade for right-hander Jack Flaherty in the final hours before the Aug. 1 deadline," said Rosenthal. "But the deal collapsed in the medical-review stage, according to sources briefed on the discussions, and the Cardinals dealt Flaherty to the Orioles instead."

Rosenthal noted that the medical issue was not with Flaherty but with a different player in the trade. The Orioles lead the Rays by 2.5 games in the AL East race. If the Rays had acquired Flaherty, their deficit might be larger. 

Since joining the Orioles, Flaherty has been roughed up. The longtime Cardinal has thrown 27.2 innings over six starts, posting a 7.16 ERA and accumulating a negative 0.6 WAR.

According to Rosenthal, the Rays envisioned Flaherty joining a Tampa super-rotation comprised of Shane McClanahan, Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin and fellow trade-deadline acquisition Aaron Civale. That super-rotation took a big hit two days after the deadline when McClanahan experienced forearm tightness and was forced to undergo his second Tommy John surgery.

Despite Flaherty's struggles, the Orioles have gained a game on the Rays in the standings since the trade deadline. 

The Orioles and Rays will begin a four-game series in Baltimore Thursday, a series that will likely decide the race for the AL East crown and home-field advantage throughout the MLB playoffs.

FanGraphs gives the Orioles a 75.4% chance to win the AL East and the Rays a 24.6% chance. Interestingly enough, FanGraphs gives the Rays a 7.4% chance to win the World Series and the Orioles a 4.9% chance.

When October rolls around, it appears Flaherty won't be in the rotation for the Orioles or Rays.