Throughout the offseason the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we broke down Pete Alonso’s future. This week we’re going to do the same with Jack Flaherty.
Where will Jack Flaherty sign? Which teams needs him the most?
R.J. Anderson: I’ll make my guess the answer to both and say the Tigers. Flaherty, an old friend, would be a sensible addition given the uncertainty in Detroit’s rotation. Alex Cobb missed most of last season; Casey Mize has had his share of injuries; and the Tigers will presumably have Jackson Jobe on an innings restriction of sorts. I think Detroit needs to do something more and something bold this winter after last season’s miraculous postseason run. Bringing back Flaherty would qualify.
Matt Snyder: I still think the Orioles need more in the rotation and it’s pathetic how relatively little they’ve done this offseason after two straight playoff failures. It’s becoming more and more clear that Mike Elias just likes team-building and doesn’t have what it takes to get a contender over the hump. I realize the first stint with Jack Flaherty didn’t go well, but he was much better last season with some changes to his game and would be a great fit there.
They won’t sign him though.
I’ll go with the Cubs, even though I think the focus should be more on another power bat. Javier Assad and Colin Rea work better in swing-man roles (long relief/spot starter) than rotation fixtures at this point and Flaherty would give them a very nice five-man rotation along with Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd. They still have money to spend, too, so it should be an easy fit.
Dayn Perry: I’m tempted to say Orioles, as they really do need help in the rotation. Instead, though, I’ll say Mets. They’ve done too little since landing Juan Soto, and I realize the David Stearns-era Mets have a belief they can incubate frontline pitchers out of mid-level guys, but I’m really skeptical about what they have right now, particularly in the tough NL East. The Mets have depth, yes, but they’re light on certainty. While Flaherty’s not an ace, he is an able mid-rotation sort with some intriguing upside in light of his Tigers tenure last season.
Mike Axisa: I think Flaherty will wind up back with the Tigers on a short-term contract. Maybe three years with an opt out after the first year, something like that. It will be tough to run the “pitching chaos” plan for a full 162 games, and the only starter they’ve added this offseason is late career Alex Cobb. Detroit clearly needs another starter and there’s already familiarity with Flaherty. It fits.
As for which team needs him the most, I’m going to say the Padres. There’s a lot of uncertainty behind Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish, and Michael King, and that assumes neither Cease nor King gets traded before Opening Day. It seems unlikely San Diego will spend significant dollars this offseason, so I don’t expect them to sign Flaherty, but I think they would really benefit from adding another quality starter. It figures to be a very tight wild-card race. Every win they add to the roster will have an enormous impact.
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