Jack Flaherty Reunion on the Horizon for Detroit Tigers, Expert Predicts
The Detroit Tigers are a team involved heavily in the MLB rumor mill. Many still expect the Tigers to make a splash move or two.
A lot of the rumors surrounding Detroit have had to do with Houston Astros' star free agent third baseman Alex Bregman. They have been viewed as a potential landing spot for Bregman all offseason long.
While adding Bregman would be a huge step in the right direction for the Tigers, they could also use some starting pitching help.
Detroit has been connected to quite a few different free agent starters. Now, they have been projected to end up landing a very familiar face.
Will Leitch of MLB.com has predicted that the Tigers will end up reuniting with starting pitcher Jack Flaherty this offseason.
"The logical place for Flaherty to go is Baltimore. The Orioles need pitching, particularly if Burnes leaves, and he’s the next name on the list. But ask an Orioles fan how they feel about Flaherty, given his brief cameo after being acquired at the 2023 Trade Deadline. Let’s just say it wasn’t the most impressive stint, one that didn’t leave the warmest memories," Leitch wrote.
"The Orioles are in danger of being mostly idle during an offseason that would seem rather critical for them, but still: I can’t see them goingtoobig on Flaherty. The Tigers had a much happier experience with Flaherty, and a return, paying both team and player back for a short-term investment heading into last year, could be what makes the most sense."
Bringing Flaherty back would be a huge addition for Detroit. He would give them exactly the piece that they were missing in the rotation behind Tarik Skubal in the second half of last season.
Before the trade deadline, Flaherty was performing at a very high level with the Tigers.
In 18 starts with Detroit in 2024, Flaherty compiled a 7-5 record to go along with a 2.95 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, a 7.0 K/BB ratio and 106.2 innings pitched. He went on to start 10 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers and had a 6-2 record, a 3.58 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, a 3.2 K/BB ratio, and 55.1 innings completed.
At 29 years, Flaherty would be an ideal long-term fit for the Tigers. He has a proven track record with the team and was well loved by the fans.
There are quite a few teams who could still use starting pitching, but Detroit makes a ton of sense for Flaherty.
His success with the team last year could lead to him wanting to come back and help lead the Tigers back to the playoffs.
