Tigers on the Prowl: Detroit Poised to Poach Dodgers $115 Million World Series Hero in Free Agency
Starting pitching has become a gluttonous habit for the Los Angeles Dodgers of late.
With Blake Snell joining Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow, LA has as many aces as a standard deck of cards. Plus, the Dodgers are hoping to add 23-year-old Japanese fireballer Roki Sasaki to truly give them a death rotation.
However, not so long ago, the Dodgers’ rotation was so beat up that they were employing bullpen games in the middle of a playoff run. And had they not traded for Jack Flaherty at this year’s deadline, who knows where they’d be?
Flaherty was crucial to the Dodgers’ World Series bid, pitching brilliantly in Game 1 of both the NLCS and World Series. But with the rotation quickly filling up behind him, it’s hard to see Flaherty staying with the Dodgers in 2025.
Will Leitch of MLB.com recently predicted Flaherty’s next team, and though he thought the Baltimore Orioles needed pitching the most, he ultimately chose the righty’s other recent team, the Detroit Tigers, for a potential reunion.
“The Orioles are in danger of being mostly idle during an offseason that would seem rather critical for them, but still: I can’t see them going too big on Flaherty,” Leitch said.
“The Tigers had a much happier experience with Flaherty, and a return, paying both team and player back for a short-term investment heading into last year, could be what makes the most sense.”
Flaherty had a 3.17 ERA in the regular season this year, including a 2.95 mark in 18 starts with Detroit. He was recently projected for a five-year, $115 million contract by MLB Trade Rumors.
Paying Flaherty may not be difficult for the Dodgers, but there wouldn’t seem to be room for him in the rotation if they land Sasaki. If he were to head to Detroit, he’d at least be less likely to harm his hometown team moving foward.
