World Series champion right-hander Jack Flaherty will sign a two-year deal worth $25 million with the Detroit Tigers, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The 29-year-old right-hander went 6-2 for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second half of the 2024 season with a 3.58 ERA. Flaherty, who was acquired from the Tigers at the trade deadline, helped solidify a Los Angeles rotation riddled with injuries. He went five or more innings in nine of his ten starts during the regular season, providing relief to an overworked bullpen. It seemed like the perfect fit for Flaherty who grew up in Southern California. Per Passan, the deal includes an opt-out after the first season, and Flaherty will make $25 million in 2025. He is guaranteed another $10 million in 2026, but he can make as much as $20 million if he starts 15 or more games this season.
BREAKING: Right-hander Jack Flaherty and the Detroit Tigers are in agreement on a two-year, $35 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 3, 2025
Tigers Sign Jack Flaherty to Two-Year Deal
A Season to Remember
This was Flaherty’s second taste of the free agent market. The first didn’t go as well as the right-hander would have hoped, and he signed a one-year, $14 million deal last winter with Detroit. The right-handed starter made the most of his time in the Motor City, where he had a 2.95 ERA over 106 2/3 innings. Flaherty was the most coveted of the traded starters at the deadline. The New York Yankees were interested but pulled out of negotiations because of concern over a back injury. As a result, the Dodgers swung the last-minute deal for the hometown kid. The rest is (World Series) history.
A Roller Coaster Ride
The right-hander’s postseason was less reliable than the regular season. Flaherty had two exceptional starts where he gave up two runs or less. Both outings gave Los Angeles a crucial series lead. In the other three starts, he surrendered at least four runs and his walk rate was up. Regardless of the inconsistency, the contract the right-hander garnered from the Tigers proves that Flaherty was in high demand and considered a solid starter who is able to solidify a starting rotation. Now, he has a World Series ring to prove it.
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