Would this trade for Jack Flaherty make sense for the Guardians?

Entering Monday, the Cleveland Guardians find themselves trailing the Minnesota Twins by the smallest of margins,by just half of a game. There is even a possibility at days' end that Cleveland manages to tie Minnesota should they find a way to win in Houston. With the trade deadline just over a day away and a rotation currently featuring more rookies than anticipated, could they swing a deal for a veteran pitcher to add to their rotation?

That is the concept of a trade idea proposed by Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller. In Miller's eyes, Cleveland trading for Jack Flaherty of the St. Louis Cardinals would make a lot of sense. Part of this is rooted in the Guardians needing to add some experience in their rotation and the other is the fact that the recently acquired Noah Syndergaard may not be the answer some hope he is.

Cleveland would end up sending Joey Cantillo back in the trade to complete this hypothetical deal. The fact that Cantillo is outside of Cleveland's 10 best prospects in addition to the relatively low amount of money owed to Flaherty was mentioned as reasons that this deal that would work for the Guardians.

"Adding at least one more pitcher is probably the goal here—ideally one who isn't owed much for the rest of this season and one they can get without giving up one of their 10 best prospects. Jack Flaherty is only due about $2 million in prorated salary, and his 3.03 ERA in the month of July can be acquired for less than it's going to take to get a Marcus Stroman. One"could be ready for the majors by next season" pitching prospect might be enough."

Would the Guardians actually go for a rental in Jack Flaherty? Probably not. Cleveland parted ways with soon-to-be free agent shortstop Amed Rosario to get the above-mentioned Syndergaard. That trade had a two-prong approach as it opened up playing time for Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman. The proposal for Flaherty would only temporarily bring in an arm to their rotation that they would be unlikely to resign upon the conclusion of the season at the expense of an under-team-control pitching prospect.

Considering the way the Guardians prefer to operate in addition to the fact they are not a true World Series contender, it may not be wise to get too excited about this particular trade for Flaherty. If the trade was a carbon copy of what brought Syndergaard to town it would be different, but that is not the case with this hypothetical trade proposal.