Detroit Tigers sign right-hander Jack Flaherty to one-year, $14 million contract
The Detroit Tigers have signed right-hander Jack Flaherty to a one-year, $14 million contract, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the agreement.
The deal is pending a physical exam.
Flaherty, a seven-year MLB veteran who turned 28 in mid-October, posted a 4.99 ERA last season with 66 walks and 148 strikeouts over 144⅓ innings in 29 games (27 starts) with the St. Louis Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles.
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The Tigers and Flaherty agreed to a contract Thursday, but the club has not confirmed the signing. The Tigers showed interest in Flaherty throughout the offseason, according to a source, and believe the pitching coaches can help maximize his potential.
The Tigers beat out a few other teams for Flaherty's services in 2024.
Flaherty joins left-hander Tarik Skubal and right-handers Kenta Maeda, Reese Olson, Casey Mize, Matt Manning and Sawyer Gipson-Long as potential options for the starting rotation. The Tigers signed Maeda, a fellow seven-year MLB veteran, to a two-year, $24 million contract in late November.
In 2023, the Cardinals traded Flaherty to the Orioles in exchange for three players — infielder César Prieto, right-hander Zack Showalter and left-hander Drew Rom — at the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
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Flaherty, who was selected No. 34 overall by the Cardinals in 2014, had his best season in 2019, posting a 2.75 ERA with 55 walks and 231 strikeouts over 196⅓ innings in 33 starts. That year, he finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting and 13th in NL MVP voting.
He suffered shoulder injuries in 2021 and 2022.
The shoulder issues limited him to a combined 26 games (23 starts) in 2021-22, as he registered a 3.54 ERA with 48 walks and 118 strikeouts across 114⅓ innings.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers sign right-hander Jack Flaherty to 1-year, $14M deal
