Free Agent Jack Flaherty Has Surprising Suitor in AL East

Jack Flaherty spent the better part of four seasons languishing with injuries and/or poor performance. But he used 2024 to pronounce himself back and ace-worthy, as he posted a 3.17 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP and a 194:38 K/BB ratio in 162 innings, split between the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

He's the last remaining prime starter left on the open market (aside from Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki), and a surprising team is said to have interest. Flaherty spent several weeks down the stretch with the Baltimore Orioles in 2023, and posted a hideous 6.75 ERA over nine games (seven starts), along with the highest hits-per-nine-inning rate (11.9) of his career. 

But according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Katie Woo, the Orioles could be willing to put that behind them. 

According to league sources, both sides would be open to a reunion after Flaherty’s bounce-back (2024) season.

Flaherty finished out this past season by helping the Dodgers to a World Series championship, and the Orioles could use a veteran like that near the top of their rotation after losing former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes in free agency to the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

The 29-year-old Flaherty is thought to be seeking at least a five-year deal, per Sammon and Woo, which could be bogging down his free agent negotiations. Only one healthy season in the last five certainly gives teams pause.