Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty will return to the team in 2026.
Flaherty, 30, picked up his player option for the 2026 season and he returns to Detroit to make $20 million. team announced Tuesday evening.
Flaherty’s 2026 option was originally $10 million, but it increased to $20 million when he surpassed 15 starts this season.
The starter had returned to the Tigers last offseason on a two-year contract after starting 2024 with the club before being traded to the Dodgers and helping them win the World Series against the Yankees.
Flaherty is coming off a 2025 season in which he didn’t perform as expected, posting a 4.64 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in 31 starts for the Tigers.
His 188 strikeouts were ninth-best in the American League, and he had a rate of 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
Had Flaherty declined the option, this offseason would have been his third straight stint as a free agent.
Flaherty began his pro career when he was selected 34th overall by the Cardinals in the 2014 MLB Draft, and in 2019 he was in the running for the NL Cy Young, finishing fourth in the voting.
He spent parts of seven seasons in St. Louis before being traded to the Orioles midway through the 2023 season.
In 2024, he posted a 3.17 ERA while striking out 194 batters in 28 starts between the Tigers and Dodgers. He will rejoin the staff with 2024 AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal as Detroit looks to make the playoffs for a third straight year.
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