The Detroit Tigers signed Jack Flaherty to a two-year, $35 million contract that includes an opt-out clause after the 2025 season.
Flaherty also received a $5 million signing bonus and one-time assignment bonus of $500,000 as part of the deal. He will earn a $20 million salary this year. Should the right-hander remain under contract for the 2026 season, Flaherty is due to receive $10 million.
However, Flaherty’s salary for next year can increase to $20 million if he makes 15 starts this season.
The 29-year-old returns to a Tigers team that traded him at the deadline last season. Flaherty wound up being the top starting pitcher moved at the 2024 trade deadline, and he provided a needed boost for the Dodgers amid their rotation being ravaged by injuries.
The Tigers received prospects Trey Sweeney and Thayron Liranzo from the Dodgers in the Flaherty trade. Sweeney made his MLB debut last year and started all 10 postseason games for the Tigers as they ended a 10-year playoff drought.
Liranzo was just ranked No. 69 on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list for 2025.
Flaherty had joined the Tigers on a one-year contract for the 2024 season. While with Detroit, he went 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA over 18 outings, with 11 of those being quality starts.
After being traded to the Dodgers, the right-hander finished the year 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 starts. Flaherty made an additional five starts in the playoffs, which included mixed results.
That potentially played a part in free agency not unfolding the way most anticipated for Flaherty. There was an initial belief he was in line for a long-term contract once the likes of Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried and Roki Sasaki signed.
However, that never came to fruition and the Burbank, Calif., native ultimately began to consider shorter deals that would allow him to quickly reach free agency.
Although Flaherty is in position to return to the open market this winter, that could come with the qualifying offer attached and it potentially would suppress matters for Flaherty as it has with some other free agents.
Jack Flaherty surprised by free agency
When recently discussing his offseason, Flaherty expressed frustration and was at a loss for the reason why he continued to linger in free agency.
“You go into the offseason with a hope of getting off the board quickly and whatnot. Now we’re sitting here on January 23rd, with no rumblings, nothing really going on, just waiting. All the other top guys are gone and waited for Sasaki,” he said during an appearance on “Foul Territory.”
“It’s not normal in that I don’t know where I’m going to go play or where I’m going to Spring Training. Everything else is (normal) but in terms of why, I wish I had a really good answer for you. I don’t know. I wish I had a better answer other than I don’t know what’s making this so difficult.”
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