When the Detroit Tigers reached the playoffs last season, it was largely despite their shaky starting rotation. While they had American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal anchoring the staff, the rest was a patchwork group that included Reese Olson, Casey Mize, and Keider Montero.
Determined not to repeat that scenario, the Tigers turned to free agency to bolster their rotation. However, one signing may never throw a pitch for the team, and another is starting to look like a bust — a potential liability waiting to be exposed in the second half.
Jack Flaherty Must Redeem Himself Coming Out of the All-Star Break
Detroit’s struggles in 2024 were largely self-inflicted, starting with the decision to trade Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers at last year’s deadline. While the deal itself was strong—bringing in shortstop Trey Sweeney and top prospect Thayron Liranzo—it also meant parting with one of their best arms during a playoff push.
No one could have predicted the Twins collapsing in the Wild Card race or the Tigers going 34-19 after the trade. In hindsight, keeping Flaherty might have made more sense. He had a solid showing with Detroit, going 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA, and was impressive after the trade, posting a 6-2 record and 3.58 ERA for Los Angeles.
That success likely influenced Detroit’s decision to re-sign Flaherty in the offseason on a two-year, $35 million deal, which included a player opt-out after the first year.
Early returns seemed to justify the investment—Flaherty posted a 2.63 ERA through his first five starts. But things unraveled quickly: his ERA ballooned to 4.67 in May and 6.84 in June. While July has shown some improvement (3.86 ERA in three starts), advanced metrics suggest the worst may not be over.
Despite boasting a 29.5% strikeout rate, his walk rate has surged to 9.5%—a troubling regression toward the high walk rates he had with the Cardinals and Orioles. His average exit velocity allowed is a concerning 92.7 mph (25th percentile), and his hard-hit rate has spiked from 35.9% last season to 44.3% this year.
All signs point to Flaherty failing to meet expectations in his return to Detroit. Though he’ll likely opt in for 2025, he could find himself out of the rotation by season’s end—and remembered as the team’s biggest letdown.
