Projecting the Detroit Tigers Starting Rotation After Jack Flaherty Comes Back into Fold

The Tigers found their man on Sunday night, inking right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty to a two-year contract. It now appears that there are four spots in the rotation taken, and a big battle is brewing for the No. 5 spot.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning at Rogers Centre in 2024. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers signed free agent starting pitcher Jack Flaherty to a two-year deal on Sunday night, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

BREAKING: Right-hander Jack Flaherty and the Detroit Tigers are in agreement on a two-year, $35 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, sources tell ESPN.

BREAKING: Right-hander Jack Flaherty and the Detroit Tigers are in agreement on a two-year, $35 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 3, 2025

Passan also indicates that the base salary in 2025 is $25 million. It's $10 million in 2026, but it can vest up to $20 million based on number of starts made this year. The contract gives Flaherty a chance to be one of the highest paid starters on a per-year basis this year, and gives him the flexibility to seek bigger numbers next offseason.

Flaherty has spent eight years in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers. He helped the Dodgers win the World Series in 2024 following a mid-season trade from Detroit.

Lifetime, he's 55-41 with a 3.63 ERA. He was 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 2024. He had gone 7-5 with Detroit.

With Flaherty now in the fold, the Tigers appear to have a mostly set starting rotation.

Prior to the Flaherty signing, we looked at the rotation battle (with some help from The Athletic). It would appear that Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and Alex Cobb are locks for the rotation, with Flaherty there as well. That means that the No. 5 spot likely comes down to one of top prospect Jackson Jobe, former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize, former top pick Matt Manning and a slew of other contenders.

The Athletic reported that Jobe had the "inside track" at a spot, but that was before Flaherty's signing.

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