The Los Angeles Dodgers’ search for an impact starting pitcher led them to acquiring Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers in a last minute deal at this year’s MLB trade deadline.
The right-hander was inconsistent during the playoffs, but he had impressive performances in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series and again to begin the World Series against the New York Yankees.
Flaherty reached free agency at the end of the season and quickly became one of the top starting pitchers available. Although he expressed a desire to return to the Dodgers, plenty of other teams have shown interest in him as well.
According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Baltimore Orioles appear to be one of those clubs, but their focus seems to be more on Nathan Eovaldi:
Nathan Eovaldi and Jack Flaherty, neither of whom was eligible for a qualifying offer, hold more appeal. Baltimore’s interest in Eovaldi, to this point, appears greater than it does in Flaherty, who struggled after the Orioles acquired him at the deadline in 2023, but under extenuating circumstances.
The New York Mets are also in the market for a starting pitcher and have reached out to Flaherty:
While The Athletic and others have already reported on Buehler’s possible fit with the Mets, a league source said New York has also at least checked in on Flaherty and Pivetta.
The Tigers, who parted with Flaherty at the trade deadline, appear to be interested in a reunion as well:
To that end, the Tigers have shown at least some interest in a reunion with Flaherty, a league source said.
Flaherty arguably holds even more appeal to teams due to not having the qualifying offer attached to him. He wasn’t eligible for one due to being traded midseason.
Flaherty is now in line to receive a lucrative contract, but it likely won’t be with the Dodgers due to their recent signing of Blake Snell.
Andrew Friedman shares insight on Jack Flaherty and Dodgers free agents
To this point in the offseason, every Dodgers player who reached the open market remains a free agent. That includes Flaherty, Walker Buehler and Teoscar Hernández, among others.
“We’ve had different conversations with our own guys. From our standpoint, throughout it, the only thing we can control is being honest and having conversations with those guys,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said when asked about the status of current Dodgers free agents.
“We have a lot of respect for them. They’ve put themselves in this position and they deserve the right to figure out what’s best for them and their family. The only thing we can control is being honest.
“So from our standpoint, stepping away from specific free agents, we’re still focused on what we can do to get better and improve our chances of winning a World Series in 2025. We’ll continue to talk through trade stuff and free agents, and figure out what potentially lines up.”
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