Angels Named Favorite Landing Spot for Star Pitcher in Free Agency

Valentina Martinez | Jan 30, 2025

Nov 15, 2023; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington (left) with general manager Perry Minasian at introductory press conference at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Angels were active in the early stages of the offseason and many of their acquisitions included veterans who certainly provide depth, but are not exactly players who guarantee success.

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However, the Angels now have an opportunity to sign one of the younger and best starting pitchers remaining on the market in Jack Flaherty.

Flaherty, 29, has been linked to the Halos for some time and MLB Network's Matt Vasgersian believes the hometown kid will stay in Los Angeles this offseason.

Jack Flaherty ➡️ ______
Carlos Estévez ➡️ ______#MLBNHotStove examines the market for the pair of free agent RHP. pic.twitter.com/VsJpUU2KV0

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 27, 2025

"I got a spot for Jack," Vasgersian said. "It might be a little homer-y, but SoCal kid. I like what the Angels have done bringing in veteran guys, Yusei Kikuchi, Kyle Hendricks. Tyler Anderson's in the last year of his deal there. They could use another veteran starter."

Like many other big name free agents, Flaherty's market has stalled and he's not sure why.

“You go into the offseason with a hope of getting off the board quickly and whatnot," Flaherty said on Foul Territory. "Now we’re sitting here on January 23rd, with no rumblings, nothing really going on, just waiting. All the other top guys are gone and waited for Sasaki.

“It’s not normal in that I don’t know where I’m going to go play or where I’m going to spring training. Everything else is (normal) but in terms of why, I wish I had a really good answer for you. I don’t know. I wish I had a better answer other than I don’t know what’s making this so difficult.”

The lull in Flaherty's free agency process comes as a surprise given he just helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win a World Series three months ago. However, there is speculation his health history has played a role in the stillness of Flaherty's offseason.

Many believed that after Roki Sasaki signed, Flaherty would quickly be taken off the market. However, that has yet to happen. There is some speculation Flaherty's past injuries have played a part in the difficulty of his free agency process.

In a conversation with Dodgers Nation's Doug McKain, ESPN insider Buster Olney provided more context behind Flaherty's ambiguous free agency.

“We know the Yankees flunked him on a physical last year," Olney told McKain. "They’re not doing that on a whim. … It would be one of the questions I would ask. I wonder how many teams have looked at the medical records. It that a factor? … So I’d be curious to see what teams are seeing in Jack Flaherty’s physical.”

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