Jack Flaherty Returns to Detroit Tigers on Two-Year, $35 Million Deal
Jack Flaherty helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win a World Series title last season. However, after becoming a free agent, Flaherty will return to Detroit on a two-year, $35 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season.
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
Flaherty, who just turned 29, posted a 3.17 ERA last year between the Tigers and Dodgers. He started 28 games and pitched 162.0 innings. He was worth 3.2 WAR. Let's take a deeper dive into his outlook from a fantasy baseball perspective.
SP Jack Flaherty, DET (ADP – 138.7)
As Flaherty's outstanding 2019 season (2.75 ERA, 0.968 WHIP, and 231 strikeouts over 196.1 innings) drifts off his five-year resume, he teased the fantasy market again with a rebound in success in 2024. From 2020 to 2023, he was losing investment (23-15 with a 4.42 ERA, 1.398 WHIP, and 315 strikeouts over 299.0 innings), other than a winning half year in 2021 (3.22 ERA, 1.060 WHIP, and 85 strikeouts over 78.1 innings).
Last season, Flaherty was an excellent value option in drafts with the Tigers despite struggling twice over his first five starts (4.91 ERA, 1.159 WHIP, and five home runs over 29.1 innings with 36 strikeouts). His arm delivered ace stats over his next 13 starts (7-4 with a 2.21 ERA, 0.879 WHIP, .192 BAA, and 97 strikeouts over 77.1 innings). He missed a couple of weeks in early summer with a back issue that required treatment twice in June. His arm back up over 10 starts with the Dodgers (6-2 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.283 WHIP, and 61 strikeouts over 55.1 innings). Flaherty lost his way in the postseason (1-2 with 18 runs, 33 baserunners, and six home runs over 22.0 innings with 15 strikeouts), which many fantasy drafters will overlook.
His fly-ball rate (37.8) was his highest since 2019, and he also saw a rise in his HR/FB rate (15.5). Flaherty has a league-average fastball (93.4), over one mph lower than in 2019. He stopped throwing a cutter in 2024, leading to a few more four-seamers (.237 BAA with 90 strikeouts), sliders (.239 BAA with 55 strikeouts), and curveballs (.182 BAA with 58 strikeouts). He barely threw his sinker and changeup.
Fantasy Outlook: When evaluating Flaherty for 2025, the fantasy market must decide how much weight they want to put on his back issue. The end of his year suggests he wasn’t healthy, and his injury isn’t going away. Overall, in the regular season, Flaherty had the best command of his career, especially in Detriot (walk rate – 1.6 and strikeout rate – 11.2). I fear his struggles with home runs (1.3 per nine) hint at more risk than reward, along with the bombs (13) allowed by his slider. The win percentage in investing Flaherty has been low in his career, so I would temper my expectations.
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-93d081519425a2ac5afbaba6a5df6de3.jpg "Matt Brandon")
Matt Brandon has worked in the Fantasy Sports / Sports Media industry for over a decade including stints at Scout Media, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, DrRoto.com, Fantasy SP, FullTime Fantasy, and more. Brandon produced Top-10 rankings in FantasyPros’ nationwide contest three years in a row. He has taken down a few big DFS tournaments on FanDuel and DraftKings but his bread and butter is season-long fantasy football, fantasy basketball, and sports betting. Brandon bleeds blue for his New York sports teams: the New York Giants, New York Knicks, New York Rangers, and New York Mets.
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.