Why Former Detroit Tigers Pitcher Jack Flaherty Makes Sense For New York Mets
The Detroit Tigers haven’t made the big splash yet this offseason that some were hoping to see, but there is still plenty of time for that to change.
It was a great season for the Tigers in 2024, as they snapped a lengthy playoff drought and beat the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Round. Now, expectations for 2025 are going to be much higher for Detroit, and rightfully so.
The young core of the Tigers showed that, even after trading away key players at the trade deadline, that this was a team that was able to compete.
One of the key players that Detroit traded was starting pitcher Jack Flaherty. The right-hander had a solid (7-5) record and 2.95 ERA with the Tigers before being traded. After being sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers, he continued to pitch well and was a big part of them winning the World Series.
Now, for the second straight offseason, the 29-year-old will be a free agent. However, his market should be much different.
Compared to last year, Flaherty is coming off a completely different season. In 2023, he was terrible with the Baltimore Orioles after being traded from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline. Now, he is coming off winning a World Series, and a strong year.
There should still be plenty of suitors for Flaherty this offseason, but one team who makes a lot of sense is the New York Mets.
So far this winter, the Mets were able to catch the biggest fish in Juan Soto. However, that came at a very expensive price and this is a team that still has some holes to fill, including at starting pitcher.
New York has already added a couple of arms in Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes, who will be in the rotation, but there is a lot of uncertainty with both of those signings.
Adding Flaherty would be a bit more of a cost-effective move for the Mets compared to dropping $200 million on Corbin Burnes. Considering their first baseman Pete Alonso is still a free-agent, money could potentially need to be allocated to that position, or to third base if they move Mark Vientos to first.
As someone who just came off a World Series win with Los Angeles, Flaherty would provide New York with some stability in the starting rotation.
With the Mets desire to win and contend, making a move to bring in one of the better free-agent pitchers on the market certainly makes a lot of sense for the franchise.
For the Tigers, a reunion with Flaherty is something that makes a lot of sense for them as well. However, getting into a potential bidding war with the Mets for his services is something that they would likely want to avoid. With a need for an established No.2 starter behind Tarik Skubal, Flaherty should still be on the radar for Detroit this offseason.
