Jack Flaherty DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, starting pitcher Jack Flaherty is returning to Detroit on a two-year contract worth $35 million. This deal contains an opt-out. Flaherty will earn $25 million during the first year. The 29-year-old began the 2024 season with the Tigers before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline. Across 106 2/3 innings with the Tigers, Flaherty performed quite well, holding a 2.95 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP. He struck out 133 batters and showed elite command as he only served up 19 free passes. He would then go on to win a World Series with the Dodgers. Through 55 1/3 innings with the Dodgers during the regular season, Flaherty held a 3.58 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP. Under the hood, the right-hander generated an impressive 29.9 percent strikeout and a 5.9 percent walk rate, both well above the average marks. Fantasy managers should target Flaherty when looking for strikeout upside and to improve their WHIP ratio, as he has elite command of his pitches. He is expected to be the No. 2 option in the rotation behind Tarik Skubal.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the San Diego Padres would target Jack Flaherty or Nick Pivetta in free agency if they trade Dylan Cease or Michael King. Both Cease and King have been around trade discussions throughout the offseason and have begun to see their market begin to heat up over the past week. The Chicago Cubs and New York Mets have been reported to have shown interest in both of these pitchers. However, Heyman noted that if the Padres were to trade one of these, they would look to target a replacement. Last season, Flaherty spent time with the Tigers before moving to Los Angeles to win a World Series. Across 162 frames, Flaherty struck out 194 batters with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Pivetta logged 145 2/3 innings with a 4.14 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He struck out 172 batters with a strong 6.1% walk rate.

According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, free agent right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty may opt to sign a short-term contract this offseason. Flaherty has been viewed as one of the top starting pitchers on the market all offseason but has yet to find a suitor. Rosenthal noted that teams may want to see Flaherty post two strong seasons before signing him up for a longer-term contract. Flaherty enjoyed a nice bounce-back season in 2024, posting a 3.17 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP across 162 innings. However, in 2023, he held a 4.99 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. The last time Flaherty posted two straight seasons holding an ERA of 3.50 or less was during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns. The 29-year-old carries high strikeout upside in 2025 but carries some risk, given that he has not sustained this success for an extended period of time. If Flaherty were to enjoy another strong season in 2025, he would then be a highly coveted asset on the open market entering the 2026 season.