Tigers Can Make Significant Free Agent Upgrades if Veteran Opts Out of Deal

The Detroit Tigers will have to await the decision on one of their stars, but they should be hoping he leaves.

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operation Scott Harris during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers head into the offseason with a renewed sense of urgency after the way the regular season came to a close, surrendering the biggest blown divisional lead in the history of baseball.

While it was a special ride of a year in the Motor City and highlighted the potential of the franchise, it was just as frustrating as it was exciting, and there's work to be done by president of baseball operations Scott Harris.

A big part of the reason why things didn't go better than they did was misallocation of resources last offseason from Harris. Large contracts given out to guys like Alex Cobb and Tommy Kahnle were complete disasters and prevented the roster from being as strong as it could've been.

As much money as possible will be needed this winter for Harris to play around with and build the best roster possible, and a looming decision from one of their veterans is going to go a long way towards determining just how much money is available.

Jack Flaherty's Decision Impacts Budget Dramatically for Tigers

Oct 7, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) walks to the dugout after warming up before game three of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Seattle Mariners at Comerica Park. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Last winter, Harris brought back Flaherty on a two-year, $35 million deal which contained an opt out for the 2026 season at a player option of $20 million. Flaherty was not anywhere near the disaster deal that Cobb or Kahnle were, but he was not what Detroit hoped he'd be either.

After a roller coaster of inconsistency throughout the season, the Tigers now stare down the barrel of $20 million which could be spent on other upgrades being burnt without them even having a say in it.

With hopefully Tarik Skubal still in the fold along with Casey Mize, a healthy Reese Olson, and rising rookie Troy Melton, Detroit has the pieces in place to build a very strong rotation without spending $20 million on Flaherty and hoping the better version of him shows up.

Flaherty Had Inconsistent Season for Tigers

Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty (9) gives the game ball manager A.J. Hinch (14) for pitching change against Cleveland Guardians during the fifth inning of Game 3 of AL wild-card series at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The overall numbers on Flaherty's 2025 were not completely horrible and he had a number of spectacular starts not to mention being one of the only arms on the team to stay healthy all season long.

He just didn't always have his stuff, finishing the year with an ERA of 4.64, a 1.280 WHIP, and an American League leading 15 losses. Flaherty did strike out 188 in 161 innings, but his 0.9 bWAR is just far from a figure anyone wants to pay $20 million for.

If Detroit was able to instantly free that kind of money off the books, it could potentially give Harris the tools to go out and fix an offense that died down the stretch and came up small in the playoffs.

Nobody would be devastated if Flaherty were to opt in and it feels like a legitimate toss up for him as to what he should do.

It's not like he'd be robbing the Tigers of the contract, but if Flaherty were to decline the option and seek another opportunity elsewhere, it's safe to say there would not be many in the front office too broken up about it.