Detroit Tigers Predicted to Reunite with Starting Pitcher on $60 Million Deal

Does a reunion with a talented right-hander make sense for the Detroit Tigers?

Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty (0) pitches during the first inning against the New York Yankees in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It has been a fairly quiet offseason for the Detroit Tigers after a great campaign in 2024.

Coming into the winter, the Tigers were certainly a team to watch after a great run last campaign. In the second half of the season, Detroit went on to have one of the best stretches of baseball of any team in the second half in quite some time.

The improvement resulted in them making the postseason and snapping a lengthy drought. In the playoffs, the Tigers were able to defeat the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Round and were just one game away from making it to the ALCS.

Now, after making the playoffs, expectations are much higher for Detroit heading into 2025. With arguably the best pitcher in the league in Tarik Skubal, the team is expected to win now.

However, some of the moves or lack of moves this offseason have indicated that the team has not quite gone all-in yet.

One area that could still need some attention still is the starting rotation. While the unit is young and can certainly get better with experience, adding another top-end start to pair with Skubal has felt like a need.

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently predicted that the Tigers would make an upgrade to their starting rotation in a reunion with Jack Flaherty. In the prediction, he also highlighted that the contract would be a three-year, $60 million deal with an opt-out after 2026.

“Flaherty makes a ton of sense. He's already proved capable of having success in Detroit, and because the Tigers traded him midseason, he wasn't eligible to receive a qualifying offer. So signing him wouldn't require giving up draft compensation.”

A reunion with Flaherty would certainly help legitimize the starting rotation heading into 2025. The right-hander pitched very well for Detroit in the first half of the campaign in 2024 before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

With the Tigers, the veteran totaled a (7-5) record and a 2.95 ERA. It was a good bounce-back season in 2024 after he struggled with the Baltimore Orioles in the second half of the 2023 campaign.

Now, with a strong season and a World Series under his belt, he is hoping to land a nice long-term deal.

In the predicted deal with Detroit, it seems pretty fair for both sides. While Flaherty pitched excellent in 2024, he has been largely inconsistent throughout his career.

However, while he might not be an ace, he is an excellent fit for the Tigers. Pairing him right behind Skubal in a playoff series would give Detroit exactly what they were lacking last year against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS.