Flaherty agrees to return to Tigers' rotation
Jason Beck
@beckjasonDETROIT -- What would the 2024 Tigers¡¯ playoff run have looked like with Jack Flaherty in their rotation?
They can¡¯t replay the Trade Deadline. But on Sunday night, they did the next-best thing by bringing Flaherty back for another try.
Flaherty announced his return on social media Sunday night. He and the Tigers agreed to terms on a two-year, $35 million contract that includes an opt-out after this coming season, a source told MLB.com executive reporter Mark Feinsand. The deal will pay Flaherty $25 million this year and includes a $10 million player option for 2026 that would increase to $20 million if he makes at least 15 starts this season, per Feinsand.
The Tigers have not confirmed the deal, as is their practice when an agreement is pending a physical.
Flaherty¡¯s reunion with the Tigers brings him back to Comerica Park, where his career resurgence last spring and summer was one of Detroit¡¯s bright spots before the team¡¯s resurgence down the stretch.
Flaherty signed with Detroit last winter on a one-year deal, looking to recapture his younger, more powerful form, which he did superbly. Working with pitching coach Chris Fetter and assistants Juan Nieves and Robin Lund, Flaherty reworked his movement in his delivery, became more direct and regained life on his fastball.
Flaherty went 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA in 18 starts for Detroit as he teamed with American League Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal for a dynamic duo atop the Tigers rotation. Yet with injuries and inconsistencies in Detroit¡¯s lineup, it wasn¡¯t enough to keep the team over .500 during the summer, let alone in apparent contention.
Rather than potentially lose Flaherty in free agency for a compensation pick in the 2025 Draft, president of baseball operations Scott Harris traded Flaherty to the Dodgers for two prospects. One of them, shortstop Trey Sweeney, was promoted in mid-August and played a key role in the Tigers¡¯ late-season run to the postseason, including a game-saving catch in Baltimore in late September. The other prospect, catcher Thayron Liranzo, heated up at High-A West Michigan, tore up the Arizona Fall League and vaulted into MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 100 list, ranked at No. 82.
Flaherty, meanwhile, played a big role in solidifying the Dodgers¡¯ injury-depleted rotation and pitching them to a World Series title, including seven shutout innings against Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS and two starts against the Yankees in the World Series.
When Flaherty takes the mound for the Tigers this spring, there¡¯s a decent chance he¡¯ll pitch at some point with Sweeney playing behind him. If Flaherty stays for a second season, he might get to pitch to Liranzo at some point in 2026 -- or maybe in Spring Training -- if the 21-year-old catcher continues his meteoric rise.
Most importantly, Flaherty has a chance to help pitch the Tigers back into the postseason. He¡¯ll join Skubal, Reese Olson, fellow free-agent signing Alex Cobb and others -- possibly including top prospect Jackson Jobe -- in a deep Detroit rotation that should allow manager A.J. Hinch to avoid leaning on pitching chaos and pick and choose spots for his equally talented bullpen.