Jack Flaherty’s Decision Brings Clarity to Tigers’ 2026 Rotation
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The Detroit Tigers have a decision made by one of their most important players as to whether or not he will be back next season.
According to an announcement from the team, right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty has exercised his player option and will remain with the team in 2025 rather than becoming a free agent once again.
The option is set to pay Flaherty $20 million for 2026.
After a season for Flaherty this year which was up and down following his decision to return for a guaranteed $35 million over two years provided the opt in, many expected things to play out this way with regards to a decision.
Did Tigers Want Flaherty to Exercise Player Option?
Though having Flaherty opt out and hit the open market again would have instantly freed up $20 million, the assumption from Detroit had to be that he was most likely to be back. While the Tigers may have preferred to have that money to spend elsewhere, they likely are not majorly regretting the deal either.
After a season where the staff was depleted due to various injuries all year, Flaherty along with ace Tarik Skubal was the only pitcher able to make just about every start with 31 appearances this year.
The production though -- while at times completely brilliant -- just did not have the same level of consistency as the first half of the 2024 season before Detroit traded him away at the deadline to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Flaherty's Overall Season with Tigers Was Complicated
Even though Flaherty was able to make 31 starts, they were certainly not all pretty. Pitching to a 4.64 ERA and recording an American League-leading 15 losses, consistency throughout the year was something the right-hander struggled with.
There was a lot to like though, as Flaherty posted a 1.280 WHIP and 188 strikeouts in 161 innings pitched while staying healthy enough to give his team a chance every fifth day rather than another dreaded bullpen game.
It can be argued that there were times he got unlucky, and if Flaherty can make some minor improvements on mechanics, he should have a great chance to come back next year and have a more successful campaign.
The ceiling of the pitching staff in 2026 may depend on just that. For better or worse, though, at least Detroit can now begin the offseason with a clearer picture of its budget as well as who's in the fold.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.