Baltimore acquired right-hander Jack Flaherty from the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday in an effort to bolster a starting rotation that's helped the Orioles take the lead in the AL East but now faces fatigue concerns heading into the stretch run.
With a low payroll and a wealth of prospects — particularly position players — the Orioles had a chance to be one of baseball's most aggressive teams at the trade deadline. Ultimately, they held onto their most highly touted minor leaguers and are bringing in the 27-year-old Flaherty, who can become a free agent after this season.
Flaherty was 7-6 with a 4.43 ERA this year for the Cardinals, who are mired in last place in the NL Central. St. Louis also dealt left-hander Jordan Montgomery to Texas on Sunday.
The Orioles gave up infielder César Prieto, left-hander Drew Rom and right-hander Zack Showalter for Flaherty. Prieto is Baltimore's No. 16 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and Rom is No. 18, but Baltimore did not part with any of its eight prospects ranked in baseball's top 100.
The 24-year-old Prieto hit .317 in 27 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season, and the 23-year-old Rom went 7-6 with a 5.34 ERA for Norfolk. The 19-year-old Showalter went 0-2 with a 2.37 ERA for Class A Delmarva.
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