Former Baltimore Orioles Free-Agent Pitcher Return to Oriole Park at Camden Yards with full commitment…
Former Baltimore Orioles Free-Agent Pitcher Now Open to Different Terms
The Baltimore Orioles now have an opening to pursue the market’s top remaining free-agent starting pitcher thanks to a change in strategy.
Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (15) pitches during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers during game two of the ALDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Jack Flaherty (15) pitches during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers during game two of the ALDS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
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Jack Flaherty’s time with the Baltimore Orioles was short but not exactly sweet.
Acquired by trade at the 2022 deadline, Flaherty went 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA in nine games (seven starts). The Orioles won the AL East that season, but Flaherty wasn’t much help.
Not every trade works, of course. And past results aren’t exactly indicators of future success.
That’s what makes Flaherty’s openness to a different type of free-agent deal notable for the Orioles.
Per The Athletic, Flaherty is now open to a deal that includes a shorter contract term, a higher average annual value and opt-outs that allow the 29-year-old to hit the market again.
Now the question is whether that would interest the Orioles? Based on what they’ve done this offseason the answer might be maybe.
Last year’s ace, Corbin Burnes, is now with Arizona. Baltimore has spent the offseason trying to re-create him in the aggregate.
That includes signing a pair of crafty veterans to one-year deals — Japanese star Tomoyuki Sugano and 41-year-old ageless wonder Charlie Morton.
They’ll backstop a rotation expected to be led by Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez. The O’s have plenty of other options, too, such as Dean Kremer, Cade Povich, Trevor Rogers, Chayce McDermott and Albert Suárez.
Two other starters — Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells — are recovering from elbow surgeries and, even on the most aggressive timeline, won’t be ready to pitch in the Majors until the second half of the season.
A short-term deal might interest the Orioles because it won’t commit them to more than one or two years with Flaherty. Baltimore took the same approach with outfielder Tyler O’Neill. His three-year deal is worth nearly $40 million, but he has an opt-out after the first year.
Adopting this approach would give the Orioles a rotation of Eflin, Rodriguez, Sugano and Flaherty for 2025. It makes a competition between the rest of the projected starters much more palatable. It also extends the rotation’s depth for injuries.
Flaherty is not the same pitcher he was when he wore an Orioles uniform, either.
Flaherty is entering his age 29 season at a time in which his value has never been higher.
He’s coming off a career year in 2024, in which he went a combined 13-7 with the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had a 3.17 ERA, with 194 strikeouts and 38 walks in 162 innings.
The former first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Cards and played most of his career there.
He has a career record of 55-41 with a 3.63 ERA, with 942 strikeouts and 292 walks in 829.2 innings. He has a lifetime 10.2 strikeout rate per nine innings.