ICYMI: Yankees Made Stunning Decision To Pull Out of Flaherty Trade

Jack Flaherty is now a Los Angeles Dodger. But he was very nearly a New York Yankee, except that the Bronx Bombers were scared off by the former Detroit Tigers ace missing a game... yes, one game, due to a back issue last month.

Now, Flaherty did receive two injections in his lower back for the issue, but the fact remains that in his three starts since it cropped up, he's had a 1.53 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 17.2 innings, surrendering just eight hits.

For a team that was looking for another strong starter for the rotation, those numbers would certainly do, sore back or not.

Flaherty's medical records, while they didn't deter the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were probably more desperate for an ace-like starter than New York, did cause Yankees GM Brian Cashman to pull out of a deal with the Tigers.

“I can’t comment on medical stuff with trades,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said, per Ken Rosenthal in The Athletic. “You would have to ask the other teams. Jack is healthy. If we didn’t trade him, he was going to start for us on Thursday.”

Overall, Flaherty, who has bounced back to his ace status after several years of battling injuries, is 7-5 with a stellar 2.95 ERA and an equally terrific 0.96 WHIP with 133 strikeouts in 106.2 innings this year.

The Yankees did not end up doing anything to help their rotation, a little scary for them after the news of Gerrit Cole being held out of his last start due to "fatigue."