Flaherty remains with Tigers after exercising $20M option
Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty exercised his player option and will remain with the team in 2026.
Flaherty will earn a $20-million salary in the final year of his contract.
The 30-year-old originally joined the Tigers on a one-year contract in 2024, and was then dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at that year's deadline. After helping L.A. win the 2024 World Series he returned to the Tigers on a new two-year deal.
Flaherty's 2025 season didn't go as expected, as he put up a 4.64 ERA, 3.85 FIP, and 1.28 WHIP along with a 3.3 BB/9 rate and an AL-high 15 losses over 161 innings. However, he did post a 10.5 K/9 rate, while his 188 strikeouts ranked ninth in the AL.
Flaherty finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019, but has struggled to rediscover that form in the ensuing years. He put up a 3.17 ERA along with 194 strikeouts over 28 total starts in 2024 with Detroit and Los Angeles, but struggled to a 7.36 ERA and 1.50 WHIP during the Dodgers' 2024 World Series run.