The Tigers are back Jack Flaherty to a two-year, $35 million deal entering last season after a resurgent campaign in 2024. The veteran righty didn’t perform well in his second year with the team, but he maintained solid strikeout numbers during his time with the team. Tarik Skubal because the best team starts. Flaherty’s underlying metrics suggested a turnaround effort was on the table for 2026, but the results have been concerning so far.
Flaherty lost six runs in two innings on Saturday against the Reds. He entered the outing having allowed one home run this year, but Cincinnati went three deep. The clunker pushed Flaherty’s ERA to 5.33 in 25 1/3 innings. His xFIP (5.94) and SIERA (5.48) are significantly higher than that mark. One positive from the Kansas City game was Flaherty’s two-footer. It was the first time this year that he threw fewer than three free passes, though he was connected after assisting on two free throws.
Flaherty’s clear concern is control. He did not sin often enough to be effective. The 30-year-old right-hander has tallied 22 walks in six innings. He passed A on the right Luis Severino to lead the league this weekend. Severino’s 21 walks came in six more innings. Flaherty posted career worst numbers in strikeout rate (43%), strikeout rate (56%), and swinging strikeout rate (9.2%).
The new ABS challenger system has led to the highest turnover rates in the league, but that doesn’t appear to be the reason for Flaherty’s struggles. His 16.9% strikeout rate is consistent with his work ethic. Detroit leads the league in correct challenge percentage at 84%. The club ranks first in Statcast’s Overturns vs. Expected metric, which plots all ABS results by group using comparisons with similar spaces. Opponents won 42% of the Tigers’ challenges, the 12th lowest mark. Perhaps the change in Flaherty’s approach to the new show has led to the increased travel, although the mix of his voice and locations seems familiar.
After stumbling through the 2023 campaign split between the Cardinals and Orioles, Flaherty renewed his career with the Tigers in 2024. He posted a sub-3.00 ERA with a career-best 32% strikeout rate over 18 starts. After bringing Flaherty to a limited one-year, $14 million deal, the Tigers were able to find cash at the trade deadline, sending him to the Dodgers for two prospects. Once again Thayron Liranzo or Trey Sweeney it came off as a Detroit influence, but it was still a good business at the time. Flaherty caught a World Series ring with the Dodgers, then returned to the Tigers in the offseason.
Flaherty had an option to opt out of his contract in Detroit after 2025. He chose to stay with the team for $10MM this season, plus another $10MM earned by making 15 starts last year. It was an unsurprising move, as Flaherty was coming off a mid-season campaign and was unlikely to make much on the open market.
Detroit made one of the biggest additions to starting pitchers this winter, he added Framber Valdez for a three-year, $115MM deal. The club pays Skubal a record $32MM in arbitration. Justin VerlanderThe one-year, $13MM contract won’t break the bank, but it’s another investment on the side that contributed to the club’s $217MM payroll (per RosterResource). With Jackson Jobe, Reese Olsonagain Troy Melton in the 60-day IL, the Tigers’ depth is depleted. Verlander is out this year as he is dealing with a groin injury.
The rotation has been a strength without Flaherty. Skubal’s contributions remain Cy Young-caliber. Valdez has always been there. Casey Mize actually leads the team with a 2.51 ERA. The former No. 1 overall pick is off to one of the best starts of his career. Keider Montero filled in admirably for the injured Verlander. Getting Flaherty back on track would give the Tigers one of the worst changes in the American League as the club looks to make three straight trips to the postseason.
Photo courtesy of Aaron Doster, Imagn Images
