Yesterday, Jack Flaherty picked up his player option for the 2026 season. This came as something of a surprise. I like Jack, but I wouldn’t even consider giving him more than the 20 million that he’s going to be making in 2026. At the same time, I’ve always found the pitching market to be very weird when it comes to free agents. Flaherty did take the ball every fifth day last year, and durability is an essential part of this game, so maybe somebody would’ve been willing to dish out a multi-year deal for him. I guess we’ll never know. Flaherty will officially be returning to the Tigers in 2026, and that’s a good thing.
Tiger fans need to accept the harsh truth: Tarik Skubal is not going to be here next year. At this point, given everything that’s come out, I would be shocked if he’s making a start on Opening Day in 2026 as a member of the Detroit Tigers. I think it’s inevitable that he gets traded. It would be pretty awkward if he weren’t. And even though Tiger fans have weirdly turned on the Skubal after not pitching one more inning in game five of the ALDS, he’s the best pitcher in baseball, and he’s saved the organization for two years.
The reason I mentioned all of this in relation to Jack Flaherty is that, regardless of what the return for Tarik Skubal looks like, as far as 2026 is concerned, your rotation is going to take a hit. Tarik will be gone, and you’ll be relying on several guys who have had trouble staying healthy. That’s not even including Jackson Jobe, who is supposed to come back at some point during the middle of next season. But even after he returns, he’s going to be on an innings limit and probably won’t be back to full capacity until 2027.
The bottom line is that, assuming we exist in a post-Skubal universe, this organization's pitching is not necessarily in great shape. I like Troy Melton quite a bit and assume that he’ll be a part of next year‘s rotation, but there’s not a whole lot of reinforcements coming up through the minor leagues. Flaherty is by no means going to be an ace, but he is capable of pitching like one, and if he can remain durable, then he can be a key part of next year‘s team.
The last reason I’m glad he’s back is that I still think that there’s good baseball left in Jack Flaherty. The numbers last year weren’t great, but the peripherals indicated that he had a lot of bad luck. I don’t think this is an instance of a guy losing velo and no longer being overpowering. I think it’s more mechanical than anything. When he’s consistent with his strike throwing, he can be a really dynamic pitcher, and anytime I see a guy with a strikeout rate as high as his, I know that there’s something to work with. He sometimes gets in his own way, but I don’t view this as a Jordan Zimmerman situation where you have a guy with diminished stuff who’s lost the ability to pitch consistent baseball at the big league level. He’s clearly very comfortable here, and I still think that he has the potential to thrive under this regime.