Many top players are still on the open market in search of their next club despite the fact that the start of Spring Training is just weeks away. Among them is Los Angeles Dodgers free agent Jack Flaherty.
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 for the Detroit Tigers and Dodgers.
Flaherty was widely considered one of the top-five free agent starting pitchers available, but his market has not developed as hoped or expected.
There was some early belief Flaherty would sign with the next tier of pitchers after Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes and Max Fried were off the board, and then potentially again once Roki Sasaki made his decison.
However, with those scenarios now settled, Flaherty remains unsigned and expressed his frustration with how things have played out during an appearance the “Foul Territory” show:
“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.
“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.”
Due to his talent and how coveted starting pitchers are, Flaherty was expected to receive a deal of around five years and north of $100 million, and some even believed he could add on a sixth season.
As he remains unsigned, Flaherty has also been open to considering a shorter-term contract, which is something teams would typically be highly interested in.
The 29-year-old has drawn interest from numerous clubs throughout free agency, including the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants. Many of them have moved on to other options, while others may remain in the mix.
Flaherty did make it known his preference was to re-sign with the Dodgers, but that has been unlikely for quite some time now.
It would be a surprise if Flaherty doesn’t sign with a team before the start of Spring Training or shortly thereafter, but pitchers of his caliber typically don’t sit on the open market this long and there is a long list of clubs that could use his services.
Blake Snell was the most notable name to suffer a similar fate last offseason before he joined the Giants. That deal worked out well for San Francisco, but the delay cost Snell part of the season and forced him to shake off some rust as the start of his year was essentially extended Spring Training.
The expanded playoff format has caused more teams to spend less money as they hope to make the postseason with a lower-salary roster, and that has affected many free agents.
Amid discussions of baseball’s perceived salary cap and competitive balance issues brought up by the Dodgers’ spending, many owners are refusing to invest in their on-field product with quality players available to them.
Jack Flaherty defends Dodgers’ spending
The Dodgers’ offseason spending has drawn criticism from fans of opposing teams and some who cover the sport. Complaints range from operating in bad faith with deferred salary to outright claims of ruining baseball.
But Flaherty defended the team’s offseason spending and shifted the focus onto other clubs that he believes aren’t doing enough to compete.
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