Dodgers Dealt a Blow: Star Pitcher Predicted to Ditch LA for Up-and-coming Tigers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are rich in starting pitching now, but only a couple of months ago, things were very different.
With Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Blake Snell all queued up for spots in the 2025 starting rotation, the Dodgers are as loaded as any team in recent memory. But at this season’s trade deadline, they were struggling to find anyone healthy enough to take the mound.
That’s where Jack Flaherty came in, thanks to a deadline deal with the seemingly extinct Detroit Tigers. Flaherty not only kept the Dodgers’ rotation afloat during the second half, but he ended up starting Game 1 of both the National League Championship Series and World Series.
Pursuing a reunion with Flaherty, however, seems somewhat unlikely at this stage. Tim Britton of The Athletic projects the righty for a four-year, $92 million contract, which is an awfully high price to pay for a potential number-five starter.
Don Lennon of Newsday recently predicted that Flaherty would head right back to the Tigers (subscription required), who have very little starting pitching depth behind ace Tarik Skubal, on a more lucrative deal this winter.
“The Dodgers’ trade deadline ace ran out of steam in the postseason, imploding against the Mets and Yankees in big spots, but Flaherty should be fine in this pitching-hungry market,” Lennon said. “Why not run it back where he performed best a year ago?”
On the whole, Flaherty had a fantastic season, finishing with a 3.17 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 28 starts. And while Lennon may be correct that Flaherty’s overall postseason ERA wasn’t pretty (over seven), he did have one excellent start in both the NLCS and World Series.
If Flaherty went to the Tigers, the Dodgers could at least have peace of mind knowing he wouldn’t face them unless Detroit made it to the World Series. But if the injury bug strikes LA again, they might be wishing they’d thought harder about a potential reunion.
