Detroit Tigers Former Star Pitcher Predicted to Explore Free Agency
The Detroit Tigers sold some of their hottest commodities at the trade deadline over the summer and as a result, did not have all the pieces they needed to contend for a title after they made the postseason against all odds.
One of those pieces was Los Angeles Dodgers now World Series champion Jack Flaherty, who Detroit signed to a one-year deal last winter. While the Tigers struggled, Flaherty was in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career and became one of the most sought after names teams were going after. Through 18 starts in Detroit, Flaherty put up a 2.95 ERA with 133 strikeouts over 106.2 innings and a WHIP of 0.956.
Many have linked the Tigers to a potential reunion with Flaherty after shipping him out of town just months earlier, but as his market starts to balloon, that may get tougher to do. Nick Villano of FanSided predicts Flaherty to end up back in the American League, but staying out West and pitching for a rebuilding Los Angeles Angeles team.
"The Los Angeles Angels might be looking to offload this offseason, and it could be a long and terrible stretch after they wasted the primes of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, but they still need to put a roster out there, and they desperately need pitching," Villano wrote. "Flaherty gives them a decent option every fifth day, and the pressure will be off of him as he gets a World Series ring no matter his performance."
Flaherty is expected to be right at the top of the tier two type pitchers in terms of how sought after he is on the open market and the kind of contract he receives. While he is not nearly as attractive to pitching needy teams as guys like Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, and Max Fried, he will have a ton of suitors and could potentially trigger a bidding war.
If the Tigers are going to entertain bringing Flaherty back, it has to be at a price that makes sense. The team still made the right move getting a package for him before he became a free agent, but with a chance to keep the trade value and secure a long-term signature from Flaherty, it will be tempting to try to bring him back.
