Former Detroit Tigers Pitcher Jack Flaherty Predicted to Sign With Angels
The Detroit Tigers have been somewhat quiet this offseason despite having a couple of needs to address.
It was an incredible run for the Tigers in the second half of 2024. After trading away some key players at the trade deadline, Detroit went on to have one of the best records in baseball in the last couple of months of the season.
The strong record resulted in a trip to the playoffs, which snapped a lengthy drought. However, the Tigers didn’t just get content making the postseason, as they went on to defeat the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Round.
While it was an incredible run for Detroit, they do have a couple of needs to address this offseason. One of which is starting pitcher. At the deadline, the Tigers traded their No.2 starter Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander went on to win the World Series, and solidified himself as one of the best free-agent pitchers available.
Recently, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report spoke about where Flaherty might end up. He predicted that the former Tiger will be staying out West and joining the Los Angeles Angels on a three-year, $72 million deal.
“Flaherty was born and raised in Los Angeles, but the Dodgers are probably out of the $20M+ pitcher market now. And the moves the Halos have made already this offseason show a desperation to not sputter through another lost year. Adding Flaherty to the mix alongside Kikuchi, Kyle Hendricks, Tyler Anderson and José Soriano at least makes them interesting in the AL West race.”
The Angels have been fairly aggressive in free agency this offseason, but pitching is still a need for them. So far in free agency, they have already added Yusei Kikuchi and Kyle Hendricks. If Kikuchi can pitch like he did with the Astros in the second half of the season, pairing him with the 2024 version of Flaherty would be a nice 1-2 punch.
For Detroit, Flaherty feels like he could be a player on their radar as well. If the Tigers are going to compete for a World Series in 2025, they could use a No.2 starter to pitch behind Skubal. Since the free-agent right hander had a good half of a season with Detroit, bringing him back seems possible.
However, it’s still an unknown how much they might be willing to spend. If the Angels are going to offer Flaherty a deal worth close to $25 million a season, that could be a very appealing offer.
