Detroit Tigers and Jack Flaherty Reunite with Lucrative Two-Year Deal
The Detroit Tigers and right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty have agreed to a two-year, $35 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The Tigers have not made an official announcement, and most deals require a physical before completion.
By signing Flaherty, the Tigers are bringing back a member of last year’s rotation, one they dealt away at the trade deadline to acquire infielder Trey Sweeney and catcher Thayron Liranzo. Sweeney made his MLB debut last year while Liranzo is working his way through the Tigers’ minor-league system.
This now positions the Tigers rotation to lead off with Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, then Flaherty, free agent signing Alex Cobb and rookie Jackson Jobe, the Tigers’ No. 1 prospect who made his MLB debut in September.
Flaherty is entering his age 29 season at a time in which his value has never been higher. He’s coming off a career year in 2024, in which he went a combined 13-7 with the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had a 3.17 ERA, with 194 strikeouts and 38 walks in 162 innings.
A reunion between the Tigers and Flaherty seemed unlikely a couple of months ago. But, recently, he softened his stance on the type of contract he was looking for. He expressed an openness to a short-term deal with a higher average annual value and opt-outs that would allow him to explore the free-agent market later.
Flaherty could do that after the 2025 season.
He was the top remaining free agent starting pitcher on the market. But, the market hasn’t moved in the direction of a long-term deal for the right-hander. With spring training two weeks away, Flaherty likely wanted to avoid dragging the situation into march.
After Flaherty left the team, the Tigers turned things around in historic fashion, making the playoffs for the first time in a decade and advancing to the AL Division Series.
The former first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Cards and played most of his career there until he was traded at the 2023 deadline to the Baltimore Orioles, where his performance tailed off.
He has a career record of 55-41 with a 3.63 ERA, with 942 strikeouts and 292 walks in 829.2 innings. He has a lifetime 10.2 strikeout rate per nine innings.
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Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.