In February 2025, Jack Flaherty signed a two-year, $35 million contract to join the Detroit Tigers. The second year of the deal, worth $20 million, was subject to a player option.
Instead of testing the waters of free agency and trying his hand at potentially getting his hands on an even more lucrative offer this winter, Flaherty has decided to stay put, announcing his decision of exercising his player option clause in early November.
Speaking to insider Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press on Friday, Jack Flaherty explained why the decision to stay with the Detroit Tigers is one that just feels right for him.
“Pretty good gut feeling of being confident in the situation, confident in the way things go. Not everything is about money when you’re in a place where you feel like you have a chance to win. I’ve gotten a lot better over the last two years being here. Another year working with those guys, building that relationship, having a full offseason with them to continue to go back and forth, it pays dividends,” Flaherty said.
“We were the best team in the league for the majority of the season, and we’re bringing all these guys back. It uplifts everybody in here and makes everybody feel even better that we got a real shot. We felt like, over the course of last year, we had a real shot – and this just makes it even better.”
With Flaherty back and Framber Valdez signed earlier this month, the Tigers will continue to have one of the top starting rotations in the AL, headlined by reigning two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
Detroit Tigers Manager Commends Jack Flaherty’s Quality
In addition to the Detroit Tigers’ pitching staff being extremely well-rounded, manager A.J. Hinch’s belief and appreciation of Jack Flaherty’s ability also likely played a key role in the starter’s decision to continue his stint in the Motor City.
“He had a really good offseason,” Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, about Jack Flaherty.
“I think his stuff speaks for itself. The swing and miss, the ability to spin the ball in two different ways, the effectiveness of his fastball when his delivery is in sync – all of that is a great foundation, and we think he can get better.”
Flaherty finished the 2025 season with an 8-15 record, a 4.44 ERA and 188 strikeouts.
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