At the 2024 trade deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers made the biggest splash among teams as they acquired Jack Flaherty to bolster their injury-decimated rotation.
The move worked out well as they went on to win the World Series with Flaherty making a few key starts. Although he expressed interest in staying with the Dodgers after entering free agency, the Dodgers moved on by signing Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki.
Flaherty’s market never seemed to develop well, and with just weeks to go until Spring Training, time was running out for him to find a lucrative deal.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Flaherty has reached a two-year contract to return to the Tigers for the 2025 season.
Jack Flaherty's deal will pay him $25 million this year, after which he can opt out. The guaranteed salary in 2026 is $10 million, and it can get as high as $20 million if he starts 15 games this season. Flaherty found a lot of success with the Tigers last year and now he's back.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 3, 2025
Although Flaherty’s contract is for two years, the inclusion of an opt out after year one with $25 million of his $35 million paid in the first year essentially makes it a one-year deal with $10 million insurance in case of an injury or a down season.
Flaherty is surely to test the market next season unless things go poorly for him, but he may have to deal with the qualifying offer next year as well, which could also limit his market.
The right-hander is coming off a strong season that saw him go 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA, 3.47 FIP and 1.07 WHIP in 28 starts.
Jack Flaherty was frustrated by slow market
Early in the offseason, there was a belief Flaherty would sign with the next tier of pitchers after Snell, Corbin Burnes and Max Fried were off the board.
However, Flaherty remained unsigned after that and expressed his frustration with how things played out.
There was also an expectation he would sign a deal worth five or six years, but instead settled for a short-term deal.
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