DETROIT — Right-hander Jack Flaherty and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to a $14 million, one-year contract, with the 28-year-old right-hander earning an additional $1 million in performance bonuses with a team that has made significant investments in improving for next season.
“There’s a lot of belief in this team,” Flaherty said on Wednesday. “That’s one of the things that excited me about the opportunity.”
Detroit finished second in the American League Central this year with a 78-84 record, its seventh consecutive losing season, and recently signed manager A.J. Hinch to a long-term contract extension.
“It’s no secret that Jack is betting on himself with this contract, and we are very supportive of him coming here and betting on himself,” said Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris.
According to sources, Flaherty and the Tigers have agreed to a one-year contract.
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The Tigers exercised Mark Canha’s $11.5 million option after acquiring the 34-year-old outfielder from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for minor league pitcher Blake Holub.
The Tigers also signed 35-year-old Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda to a two-year, $24 million contract and left-hander Andrew Chafin to a one-year, $4.75 million contract.
“The ballpark helps us from a pitching standpoint,” Harris told reporters. “I think we have started to demonstrate that our pitching group and our manager have a way to reach pitchers and help them get a little bit more out of their ability.”
Flaherty believes the team is ready to win after speaking with its leadership.
“You could definitely feel it,” he said. “You could see it.”
Flaherty, who earned $5.4 million last season, has had an ERA of more than 4.00 in three of the last four seasons. He’d get $250,000 for 26 and 28 starts, and $500,000 for 30.
Flaherty went 8-9 with a 4.99 ERA in 27 starts and two relief appearances for the Orioles, including 1/3 with a 6.75 ERA in seven starts and two relief appearances. Baltimore acquired him in a trade with St. Louis on August 1 in exchange for infielder César Prieto, left-hander Drew Rom, and right-hander Zack Showalter.
“Despite the top line performance that he showed in Baltimore, we noticed that he started to recapture the fastball shape and playability that he had earlier in his career,” Harris went on to say. “That pitch started to play better in Baltimore, and we think that planted a seed that we can hopefully continue to grow here in Detroit.”
In seven major league seasons, Flaherty has a 42-35 record with a 3.75 ERA.
“Jack had a lot of interest because of the performance that he flashed earlier in his career,” said Harris.
He finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, and he went 11-8 with a 2.75 ERA for the Cardinals the following year, finishing fourth in the Cy Young Award race.
“I’ve got a lot of baseball in front of me,” Flaherty, who made his major league debut in 2017, said.
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