Free agent righty Jack Flaherty appeared on the Foul Territory podcast recently to discuss his ongoing trip through free agency and made some revealing comments about the state of his market. Notably, the right-hander indicated that while a handful of teams have continued to check in with him throughout the offseason, clubs have been reluctant to make him a formal offer to this point.
“It’s like, ’What are you up to?’ [and] ’When is the market gonna move?’… You have to make an offer and then it’ll go, but just calling and checking in… I don’t know. It’s weird,” Flaherty said. He then went on to suggest that clubs might have some level of complacency about improving beyond the level needed to have a chance at getting into the playoffs.
“It’s not that I don’t think teams want to win, I just think you have a lot of teams that look at their rosters and they’re happy with it… teams just want to get into the playoffs. Maybe it’s not World Series or bust, it’s just hope we can get into the playoffs and then kind of see what happens.”
Since the league expanded the postseason to include 12 teams back in 2022, there’s been a trend away from the tear-down method of rebuilding used by teams like the Cubs, Nationals, and Orioles in recent years. Entering the 2025 season, only the White Sox and Marlins are rebuilding in that sort of aggressive fashion with the rest of the league’s clubs generally looking to maintain at least some level of baseline competitiveness. That’s a strategy incentivized by the new playoff format, which not only added another playoff team in both leagues but also allows Wild Card teams to participate in a three-game series rather than the one-game, win-or-go-home playoff the 10-team format utilized in the past.
That guarantee of a postseason series for any club that can make the playoffs at all, when combined with the inherit randomness of baseball’s playoffs, has arguably weakened the incentive for teams to maximize their odds of winning their division at the expense of the franchise’s longer-term outlook. Some evidence for this is relatively easy to see: 2024 was the first season in a decade where no club won 100 games, and the first three seasons of the 12-team playoff format have seen five teams that won 86 games or less make the postseason after just two such teams made the playoffs during the entire 10-team playoff era that spanned from 2012 to 2021.
That includes 84-win campaigns by the Diamondbacks and Marlins in 2023, which were tied for the lowest win total for any playoff team since 83-win Cardinals won the World Series back in 2006. Only one other team, the 2005 Padres, has made it to the playoffs with less than 84 wins in a 162-game season since the 1973 Mets won the AL East with 82 wins. To what extent that increased ability for teams with win totals in the mid-80’s to make the postseason can be traced back to the struggles some higher-end free agents such as Flaherty have faced in finding free agent deals that are commensurate with their perceived value is difficult to pin down, however.
Regardless of the cause of Flaherty’s depressed market, it was reported earlier this month that the right-hander is now open to short-term offers as he looks to find his new home with the start of Spring Training just two over two weeks away. The Tigers, Cubs, Orioles, and Blue Jays are among the teams that have been connected to Flaherty this winter. The right-hander expressed a desire to return to the Dodgers early in the offseason, but that door has long appeared closed in the aftermath of Los Angeles striking early to sign Blake Snell back in November. The Dodgers have also added Roki Sasaki since then, further crowding their rotation mix. Flaherty acknowledged the long odds of a reunion during the interview, noting that he “can do the math” and surmise that he’s “most likely” not returning to LA. He also has interest in returning to his other 2024 club this year, however, and spoke positively of the Tigers during the interview.
“You know, I wanted to stay in Detroit,” Flaherty said. “We had conversations, and I loved it there. And I thought the combo of me and Skub was incredible… we’ve been talking to them and talking to other teams… Hey, you know, it would be fun to go back there.”
The Tigers appear to be one of the more active teams at the top of the remaining free agent market at this point, as they’ve remained engaged not only with Flaherty but also with third baseman Alex Bregman. Bregman has appeared to be the club’s priority to this point, but those are reportedly at a “standstill.” If Bregman ultimately signs elsewhere, it’s easy to imagine Detroit redirecting those funds to Flaherty where the righty would reclaim his role at the top of the club’s rotation alongside Tarik Skubal. That signing would push the club’s potential fifth starter options like Kenta Maeda, Matt Manning, Casey Mize, and Keider Montero into depth roles entering the season.
And then you have a smart team like the Dodgers step in and feast on quality free agents while other teams sit back and won’t make offers.
Other teams don’t have two FREE Japanese superstars on their roster.
Two things:
1. Those Japanese superstars aren’t “free.”
2. Other teams didn’t have the foresight to invest resources in the Asian market, which the Dodgers have done for years. Only now are some MLB teams starting to set up shop in Japan. Duh!
So, of course, the Dodgers would have an advantage in recruiting the best Japanese players. They have a history of commitment to the region.
And a large Asian population and the closest proximity to Japan
It has nothing to do with that, whatever that means. It has to do with:
1) Best team right now, why would superstars not want to play on the best team? Multiple MVP, Multiple Cy Young winners.
2) Location. Closest team to Japan.
3) Biggest market and biggest Japanese population (City)
4) After Ohtani signed,Yamamoto and Roki want to be teammates with other Japanese players.
Sure – the Dodgers have invested in the market. But be real, as the West Coast has a huge, built-in set of advantages that allows them to make that work. Geography is the primary factor; plus demographics in that due to that same geographic advantage they already have large Asian communities that make players feel more comfortable. This was from the outset – the advantages multiply naturally over time as “success” breeds success.
Plus, many MLB owners have no desire to commit resources toward building a winning team. They are content counting their money, banking on the fact that they’ll occasionally make the post-season because it has never been easier to qualify.
When I started following baseball in the ’60s, there were 20 teams, but only two made the playoffs. Now, there are 10 more teams and 10 more playoff teams. Owners happily feed their customers mediocre products because they know they’ll occasionally qualify as a wildcard.
The problem is not the Dodgers; the owners don’t try to win (and fans continue lining their pockets).
The Dodgers have a huge advantage in terms of incoming revenue over most teams. You can’t expect owners who are admittedly rich to make up the difference out of their own pockets to make up for the disparity
Not entirely true. It was reported the Jays have been courting Sasaki for years probably why they’re we being considered.
@kabong – no need to move the goalposts. You were talking about the Asian market, and not taking into account the fact that the West Coast was born on third with a big lead towards home when it comes to getting Asian players.
Changing the argument back to the owners that are not trying to win…well, sure. Most folks credit the Dodgers for doing everything that they can to win, even while bemoaning the fact that the scales are already weighted heavily in their direction. There are a bunch of owners that suck and I feel bad for their respective fanbases, even given the imbalances. Owners such as John Fisher and Nutting should be run out of the game.
Other teams aren’t on the west coast*
Guess you forget the Yankees have been in the Japanese market for decades…..Dodgers have built in proximity to Asia and large Asian populations which helps as much as their “investment” in Asian markets…
New York Yankees have been in Japan since 1992 and they traded Tom Selleck to the Chunichi dragons.
Friedman has established the LA Deferrals as a destination for FA, whether Japanese or Americans. Friedman has not stood pat after each season. He’s gone out & gotten the players he wanted by establishing a team that competes for Division Championships & World Series.
Players want to go to the LA Deferrals bc they know they have a chance every year to compete for championships & World Series rings.
Bottom line Friedman has outsmarted 29 other teams, utilized the MLB rules to the fullest & hasn’t been afraid to spend $$& on players he has targeted to be LA Deferrals
Look for Murakami to be the next Japanese signing with the LA Deferrals
I’m a diehard Giants fan & realize Posey has a tough job returning the Giants to our glory days. Posey is the right person to get the Giants back. He’s got a plan & not going to be pressured get players to don’t fit. Adames & Verlander are the first step. Remember Posey said he’s in the memory making business.
Two million a year for ten years for Ohtani and 6.8M for 5 years of Sasaki is pretty much free
@redwolves
Which comes first: A Giants trophy or Verlander’s retirement?
@CarverAndrews, the Dodgers have been pursuing the Asian market for years, which is a huge factor. Why didn’t other teams do this? It’s not just geography; it’s being smart about operating the franchise.
In 1987, the Dodgers were the first MLB team to open a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic. There’s nothing geographic about that. It’s just being innovative, which the Dodgers have always been when compared to most other organizations.
Finally! Someone else who passed geography.
Ohtani was the best signing ever for the fact that now Japanese born players all want to be dodgers.
The 2024 World Series had more viewership in Japan than the USA and they had to get up early morning to watch the games.
That’s not true. We don’t get to see the financials of any organization, and while it can be presumed the LAD have more
revenue, the current spending thresholds (luxury tax tiers) don’t appear to be out of reach for any MLB organization. If they do release their financials, maybe then we could argue this point.
@kabong – I sincerely apologize for attempting to add a few pieces of factual perspective to your Dodgers are the best narrative. The Dodgers are clearly the first, the mostest, smartest, best-looking and spiffiest group of baseball folks in the history of the game. Never again shall we try to tarnish that take on your favorite team.
Bro, this is cope. Even if they have a genius front office, denying the unfair advantage of discounted players renders all your arguements emotional. The playing field is CLEARLY not level and Ohtani didnt join because the dodgers like japan. He joined because they offered both the most money and the best team. Pleae be real.
The bigger issue is that all Japanese companies want Japanese players to be dodgers.
It does have to do with that. There’s more Asian Hoochies to bang in LA. Those Hoochies keep batting averages on the players regarding sex. And believe me those are some high-end Hoochies. They aren’t the scraggly looking Hoochies that you and I can get. These are the real deal. Why wouldn’t players want to come over and be with people that are the same race?
Closest city to Tokyo is Seattle at 4,800 miles via air and Los Angeles is 5,500 miles via air.
@dugler…..You made good points.
Your #3a made me curious,
As a greater metro areas(Ventura, LA, Orange, SB, Riverside counties), LA is second to Honolulu in its Japanese population.
pewresearch.org/chart/top-10-u-s-metropolitan-area…
Good Mr Baseball talk on this Sunday
NY is a big draw to Japanese people and players. Let’s not pretend that the Yankees didn’t land top tier Japanese players in the past. Dodgers are it now with Japan. That trend could shift but plenty of Japanese players have gone elsewhere including Boston, Chicago, Seattle of course, other NY team, etc.
Geography is overblown. 10 hr flight to LA vs 13 hr to NY. Insignificant? I guess not but not significant either. Seattle is even closer than LA. NY is probably a more intriguing city for Japanese people to visit but LA most comfortable living. Demographics matter more. To be able to shop for Japanese groceries and eat out in very good Japanese restaurants all over the city and put your kids in weekend Japanese language schools and living within communities that speak your native language are huge advantages.
The $68mm per year for years 11-20 certainly are not free. Think you need to look at entire contract. Sasaki was available to all teams. I agree though that if you put the entire package for a Japanese player it’s hard to beat the Dodgers. On and off the field. Dodgers have lost out on plenty of Japanese players in past when they weren’t best team in baseball as they are now.
Don’t deny the advantages but unfair is crying. When the Yankees were piling best players available including Japanese players was it unfair too? Don’t think so. They also proved that spending doesn’t necessarily lead to winning.
I agree El. Many get salty towards the Dodgers, but as a Tigers fan, I say more power to em. Let’s see how good an MLB team can be. The other owners are just greedy prix. Maybe there should be a cap and a floor, but there’s never going to be if the owners don’t open their books and they won’t because they’re all making enough to pay those guys.
$ternberg is one of the worst. He won’t spend, and has his crew say that they are using analytics instead of spending, and since the front office has done well with trades for a stretch, the dumb fan base believes that he is trying to put a competitive team on the field year after year. A few more years like last year will hopefully out his agenda. There are tons of genuine Rays fans on this Rays FB page that defend $ternberg and the ‘Rays way’ who are totally clueless. Carver, you and others on this site really know what’s going on. Owners need to put a competent product on the field. 30 teams, 30 owners trying to get to the playoffs. That should be the goal.
I mean, Roki is pretty close to it.
@Please – 6.8M for Sasaki was only a signing bonus. His salary for 2025 will be the minimum whatever that is ($850,000) or thereabouts.
Padres have been investing in Japanese market and Japanese development, but look how much that helped
Got the LA Deferrals. Wasn’t funny in the first sentence and saying it 10 times doesn’t improve it.
Thank you for acknowledging that fact.
Biggest reason is it’s 12 hr flight LA to Tokyo. That’s biggest reason why players prefer be on the West Coast.
I am not paying those taxes!
In 2018 Ray Searage mentioned that Glasnow got advice about his new slider which was clearly the Roger Beshens Football Slider. Nutting was either not informed or did not realize it. Being an owner does not mean you are wise.
When is last time Mariners signed a Japanese player? They have shortest flying distance/flight time. Flight time is not a big deal. Did flight time matter when Matsui and Tanaka picked the Yankees? Matsuzaka and Yoshida picked the Red Sox. Imanaga and Suzuki picked the Cubs. Senga picked the Mets.
Closer to Japan means they can fly home on an off day? Yankees had a large Japanese connection with players at one point but that seems faded.
No, they cannot fly to Japan on off days even from West coast. At best at AS break but that’s assuming they aren’t part of AS festivities. I think it’s assumed that shorter flying time is for family flying back and forth from US to Japan. It’s an overblown advantage.
@ Chicken –
That’s complete BS. It’s very clear that half or more of the teams in MLB would be running at big annual losses if they ran payrolls around the CBT line.
One smaller market team (Padres) tried to do it, and it’s ended up a financial mess.
Outside sources like the Forbes estimates aren’t perfect, but they’re informed by the Braves publicly releasing financials and some publicly-released info such as TV deals and attendance. And other info that outside sources can get a pretty good handle on, such as average ticket prices. The Forbes estimates should be directionally correct and give a solid idea of the relative revenue of different teams.
We can look at the Braves financials. They’re a team in a good-sized market that draws 3+ million attendance and has a solid TV contract. They’re a net payor into the revenue sharing plan. And they make some profit, but not a ton, running payrolls around or a bit past the CBT line.
Fairly easy to see that the Braves are well above the revenue of teams in smaller markets such as Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Kansas City.
Ohtani costs like $46M/year but I am sure 25 other teams would happily have him at that price.
Ohtani is costing nothing right now and this gives the Dodgers their ridiculous Payroll Tax figure that should have them in the high end of the penalty portion like other teams.
Ohtani costs $46MM against the Dodgers’ payroll. It’s a fact that is easy enough to look up.
He costs $46M on CBT and they have to pay $70M Into escrow (to get free interest on)
Dig – You got it half right.
OMG Heels. How many times do deferrals have to be explained to you?
The Dodgers pay $70m a year for Ohtani. The only difference is they don’t pay it to him.
Seam, what’s the sense, or advantages to referrals then? I mean, if they still put it up for the player and it counts towards the luxury tax, then what? Serious question. Like, the only thing I know of is the club gets the interest and not the player in most of the contract deferrals so far.
Such an idiotic comment.
Sorry wasn’t meant for you and can’t delete it 🙁
Isn’t it just 1 free Japanese superstar? i.e. Sasaki. Yamamoto wasn’t free by a long shot. Although Ohtani is starting to look undervalued after what Soto got paid.
Free?
While the Dodgers drive up the market and force small market teams to overpay for free agents in order to improve their chances in the short term
Thank goodness you’re not MY Lord
I wonder if LA is doing this because they can and see the opportunity because nobody else cares about winning their division anymore and, more sneakily, to show the system is broken.
@Lord
And then you have a rich, large market team, like the Dodgers…
Corrected that for you. They are smart in using the imbalance to their advantage, though. Just don’t imply that there aren’t 25 teams that can’t do what the Dodgers are doing.
Those other teams have the advantage of additional playoff spots, which can help owners who do not want to commit to fielding a top-flight team.
LordD though the Dodgers haven’t made an offer to him either. Remember why the Yankees didn’t get him at the deadline? No doubt his meds have something to do with his free agency.
Yankees must feel like idiots as i bet if they got him, they may have won the WS or at least got it to 7 games
Not every team has the available payroll resources and the ability to sign big contracts and miss. Look how many pitchers the dodgers had on the injured list last year. That would kill most teams payrolls.
Btw dodgers ticket and food prices are also crazy high now
With the great team the Dodgers have, why are teams going to improve? They have no need to if they know they can’t compete. Thank the Dodgers for creating the unlevel playing field
It seems that teams were not convinced that his first half with the Tigers last season wasn’t anything more than an outlier.
Looks like another one year deal coming his way
maybe back to LA. Everyone’s head would explode.
It’s possible if, say, LA traded a package consisting of Gonsolin, May and others for whatever. Then opening a spot up for him
His dodgers stats were up and down. One good start followed by a bad start.
The Dodgers have chosen the Roger Beshens Football Slider as their preferred slider. (On center grip, throw like football, stiff wrist)
Talk to Jack, Max, Lucas, Ethan they are very familiar with it since May 2018. They showed no signs that they knew, threw, or discussed before that date.
Well no wonder they have a 7 man rotation on the IL alone every year
The Roger Beshens Football Slider has ascended both time and space.
Roger Beshens was arrested for sexual abuse of animals in 2017. So I doubt he helped them in 2018. He’s not getting out until 2030 at the earliest.
Not only does Roger Beshens eat candy bars with a fork and knife he is also known to remove the tags from all mattresses. The man cannot be trusted.
It’s been that way then bob euker suggested to put some air in the ball. Mark prior also stepped in and then handed them a baseball.
Half the league got dropped by DSG and media revenue is broken . Get the media mess straightened out.
That and the Dodgers spending spree will be the things that fuel the 2027 lockout. Adjustments to revenue sharing and luxury tax will be why 20 or so teams will push for new more balanced CBA.
Or Flaherty your asking for too much money. Come back to Detroit on a 2/40.
I was thinking 2 and 50. 20 AAV seems a bit light. I’m not sure why a team like the Tigers wouldn’t offer even more than that. Flaherty comes with obvious risks, but has no. 2 upside and has publicly declared an interest in returning to a team that over-achieved in 2024 and also returns the reigning AL Cy Young winner. I would have no problem giving Flaherty 3 and 75 if I were the Tigers.
That’s the point. Flaherty might want to look in the mirror.
He had 19 good starts in 2024 followed by a 4.01 ERA and 4.50 FIP the rest of the regular season, then a postseason where singlehandedly he almost wrecked the Dodgers chances, then appeared to be looking for a 5/100m-plus deal. Might want to consider the possibility his agent’s initial ask was so ridiculous teams looked elsewhere.
Factor in Flaherty’s injury history I am surprised he didn’t go the Bellinger/Montgomery route of last year. I can only go by the rumors but it sounded like he was looking for a mid term contract at big bucks. A bunch of teams could use him but not if it is the typical Scott Boras or Flaherty telling Boras big bucks and term length or bust.
The article said that LA basically won’t happen, which means they jinxed it and now he’s going to get a 5 year deferred deal to be a 6th or 7th starter
I just realized that on top of the 5 all star caliber starters they still have gonsolin and may and (will have) kershaw and all of the young guys like miller and Sheehan and Ryan and wroblowski
The dodgers 10th starter could be better than the white Sox’s ace! And imagine if they packaged all of the young expendable starters together to get another 2nd baseman or shortstop
Flaherty sealed his fate with LA being blind drunk for his post celebration ESPN interview.
If LA packaged Gonsolin, May, etc for something, they could open a spot for him conceivably
The Dodgers don’t overpay in trades to open a spot for someone. Even in trading Lux, they got something of future value. Ha. Small market teams are given competitive balance picks to do some long-range building. So, what do the Reds do? They trade the pick and a 2024 first-rounder for an infielder they don’t need. It’s not the Dodgers’ fault that other organizations make foolish transactions.
Building for now and the future simultaneously. Brilliant!
Really easy to do when any mistakes can be memory-holed and filled in with money.
Why…and have him land on the IL for 3 months on a big bucks comparitively contract……that was the original concern with him was it not….last year is last year…doesn’t make his physicality change….
@ROCKY07 That’s the main point.
What does a median Flaherty year actually do for the Dodgers? Not much, and the Dodgers aren’t just building their 2025 roster, but 2026, 2027… etc. as well.
Some of that involves giving their younger starters, you know, Starts.
There’s also the Deadline if LAD finds itself in difficulties—on top of which Flaherty’s entire resume highlight is his first 19 starts in 2024. After that it was a .764 OPS against, then the demolition derby that was his postseason.
Dodgers don’t have young expendable starters. They already expect to limp through the last half of the regular season and don’t want to be breaking their collection of aces before the postseason.
Once again, the much abused concept of “randomness.” Postseason outcomes are not random. This implies that each team entering postseason play has exactly the same chance of winning, when we know better teams have a higher probability of winning. The fact that low probability teams can win does not make the outcome “random.” So the real question is how much teams are willing to pay to increase their probability of success.
Most owners are too busy counting their money to think about it.
What a silly, academic point. Of course we don’t mean absolute, chaotic randomness.
Oh, really? And how often do we hear “the postseason is a crapshoot” — when in fact, it isn’t?
@seamaholic2 In fact that’s exactly what most fans mean when they say ‘the postseason is random.’
BlueSkies,
I doubt anyone means every series is a 50-50 chance when they say randomness. But in baseball more than any other sport, the winner of a short series is less likely to be determined by which team is the better seed.
Okay, go ahead and prove it. Bet you can’t.
So, now reality. Because so many say “the postseason is a crapshoot” I sat down once and tabulated all the World Series winners over the last 30 years or so, and found that one of the teams with the top four regular season records won it twice as often as the others. So yeah, it’s a crapshoot — with loaded dice.
This goes to Flaherty’s comments. Teams believing they will qualify for the postseason in his opinion aren’t willing to spend the marginal cash required to improve their chances of winning in the postseason. They are hoping to make it, and get lucky.
Random is a word with real meaning, and I bring it up because not many seem to be able to distinguish the difference between possible and likely.
“Randomness” and “crapshoot” and ust hyperbolic ways of saying you never know what might happen in an individual series. Better teams win more often, but not so much that the results are predetermined by playoff seeding.
Teams should spend more to improve their rosters, but with 12 teams making the playoffs, the incentive to be dominant has been lessened.
Who in their right mind would ever suggest anything in baseball is “predetermined”? This is simply the nonsensical flip side to claiming that the postseason is a total crapshoot. Neither is true. And FWIW, “just hyperbolic” is an oxymoron.
Dominance isn’t necessarily the purpose of improving a roster, achieving a better probability of success is the goal. At root, success isn’t really incentivized in baseball so neither is spending to achieve it. With so many teams in the playoffs it’s more cost-effective to try to get lucky.
“just hyperbolic,” “simply hyperbolic,” “only hyperbolic,” are all valid.
No, it’s an oxymoron because of what the word hyperbolic means (an exaggeration; effectively, a falsehood). An exaggeration doesn’t become less of an exaggeration by adding “just” or “simply.” It only becomes a contradiction, an oxymoron. Fun with words.
Now look up pedantic.
Now try admitting you don’t understand.
I started my response by trying to express the point that “randomness” and “crapshoot” are shorthand for the fact that upsets happen pretty often in baseball. Home field advantage is only about 54-46 historically.
The better team improves its chances of winning as series get longer. But in a 3- or 5-game (and even a 7-game) series, the lesser team can get hot, have an ace make a couple of dominant starts, the better team can make uncharacteristic errors, etc.
I think that’s a feature, not a bug. If seeding held all the time, the playoffs would be boring. It would be like 75 years ago when the top team in each league went to the World Series.
I generally enjoy your comments, BlueSkies. I think we both went off on a tangent that wasn’t a helpful direction to go.
@BlueSkies_LA A breath of fresh air. Btw, it’s also by how much projectable improvements cost, both in $$$ and, if you’re signing post-prime FAs, how much the opportunity cost will be in 2026 and after.
Currently the Dodgers, say 90% to win their division, have around a 23-26% chance of winning the World Series, whereas a 90-win team like the Mets in a tough division are 3-4% to win the World Series, having far more often than not to go through a 4-round postseason as underdogs in 2-3 of those series by W-L record.
If the Mets add Bregman and with him 2 wins versus their current depth chart at 3B of Acuna-Mauricio-Baty, they barely move the needle but do (1) kill the chance that one of their young guys proves himself at 3B in 2025 and sets them up for the next 5-6 years, and (2) saddle the team with a 32 yo and a 26m AAV in 2026 and after for as long as Bregman’s deal lasts.
Tell that to the average fan and you’ll get “the future? What’s that? This is baseball!”
I believe your overall point is that making marginal improvements to a roster is costly. If so I believe you are correct. In crude terms this means a $200m roster is unlikely to win twice as many games as a $100m roster. Expressed in wins, the $100m roster is more cost-effective.
An analogy is a game of darts where you have to buy the darts, with each added dart costing twice as much as the one before it. The player who buys one dart might hit the bullseye with it, but I’d give better odds to the player who buys ten darts.
It’s so much more complex than you make it out to be, it’s difficult to know where to begin.
Signing typically post-prime older players already in decline is vastly different than ‘buying additional darts.’ Also, every ‘dart’ you buy hampers your prospects for the following season—as further decline is typical—unless you get the player on a 1-year deal, but even then the opportunity cost of not playing a young, pre-prime or prime age players you control for x season(s) is often significant.
And etc.
Boras is not Flaherty’s agent. He is repped by CAA.
I wish Jack all the best unless he becomes a Giant or a Yankee.
I wouldn’t complain to see him on the Jays roster.
Me either. But Quintana 1/13M would add a lefty to the rotation. IMHO.
He wants to get paid more than what the market is dictating, that is why he isn’t signed. Hes closer to Frankie Montas then someone like Corbin Burnes
Please enlighten us to what he wants to be paid. He does have injury history, but that hasn’t stopped Rodon, deGrom, Snell, Boyd, Cobb and others from getting paid. He hasn’t gotten an offer.
LFG,
You need a longer username. Maybe get yourself banned one more time.
Odd how when players talk about how odd the market is and how teams don’t want to acquire additional talent for their rosters, they conveniently leave out the fact they want more money than the absurd amounts already offered to them…. Ie, Bregman, Alonzo, etc, etc, etc.
I don’t blame them for getting as much as they can, but contracts are a two-way street.
When one player this winter gets $765M and numerous pitchers get more than was predicted, it’s easy to understand why every free agent was expecting more than predicted.
Totally agree, and I’m sure that exactly why they did feel that way. It just comes across to me as if they’re saying they’re not even getting offers (or reasonable ones), when it’s really they just want more.
That only happens at the elite level now though. I guess not many guys see themselves as mid tier even when they are.
It’s almost like the teams with money to spend have already filled their rosters. The few who still have money to spend are looking for bargains. That’s exactly what they should do. This downward salary pressure for everyone but the top free agents will continue until there’s a long-term solution to the media revenue situation.
Especially the Boras clients who want more than their worth. You can’t be a holdout and then complain that teams filled their rosters… Flaherty seems like an imbecile to me, based on some of the public comments he’s made.
Big hint….High School graduate….with a High School outlook…enough said….
Boras doesn’t rep Flaherty.
Yeah, I was referring to Alonzo and Bregman, and last year’s holdouts. I should’ve clarified that though.
Well, for some examples, he’s made several public comments regarding teams’ spending, including his own team’s in the past. He seems somewhat tone deaf to the fans and the owners at times.
Full transparency, he is just a vocal personality, so I get that too. And some of his opinions I agree with. I just don’t think he necessarily chooses wise times or places to advocate his side.
When in StL, Flaherty thought he was better than the Cardinals thought. It’s your attitude, young man.
The Dodgers really love the Roger Beshens Football Slider.
Teams that fail to grasp this will never compete with them.
It’s not about the money; It’s about the idea they are missing.
If the owner is not capable the wolves will take charge.
An analytical person who doesn’t understand the Roger Beshens Football Slider will ruin any chance of making it to the playoffs.
The Boger Deshens Rugby Ball Screwball is a vastly superior pitch. It is actually invisible between 20 and 40 feet from home plate and has unpredictable location, movement and velocity. The pitch is taught to everyone who reaches the peak of Mount Everest. It is also taught at the deepest depths of the ocean and inside many New England outhouses. Most pitchers need a minimum of 20,000 hours of practice to achieve the full effect of throwing this special pitch.
Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” was actually about Roger Beshens.
I truly think this message is meant for you.
If you can’t manage the Roger Beshens Football Slider step aside cause someone else will figure it out quickly. I recommend the Hooked on Phonics accelerated version.
Flaherty is better than anyone on the Angels roster. He lives in the area. They’re willing to spend. What’s the hold up?
Ash Flaherty….maybe he or his agent should reach out?
The holdup? They’re the Angels.
The answer is…..the Angels. Loser organization
More polarizing than Bauer and a smidgen of the talent. Teams are not going to touch such a disaster
Flaherty tends to support the right things; He is the opposite of Bauer (whose talent you overrate).
He paid an escort to fly to him during Covid lockdown and was caught. Should have been suspended and potentially charged with a crime. He got lucky. He’s worse than Bauer. Bauer’s encounter was legal. Flaherty broke the law. That’s a fact
Ha ha ha. Magnificent !
Go Jack. Sometimes, covid risk is a small price to pay to rid yourself of that itch.The press conference muscle shirt had me viewing Jack suspiciously, not anymore.
Jack just loves the ladies !
I hope you meant whoever enforced a covid lockdown should have been charged with crimes.
I meant the whole paying for you know what.
Sure, Jan
It’s a fact dipstick. Look it up
Dude. It’s over. It’s time to look back at ourselves and laugh. Not smash people.
I’m pretty sure “more polarizing than Bauer” is impossible.
Trevor pushed his teammates to get better the way Jordan did. Flaherty wears makeup and dresses in drag like Rodman.
If he was more polarizing than Bauer, Jack would be the one down in Mexico playing for a box of burritos
Keep the microwave ready. One more political outburst and Jack is headed that way.
Bauer is so three years ago.
No stickem, no good. Move on folks.
Um, it’s inherent, not inherit randomness. For the love of God, just use AI
Or Grammarly, which is fantastic and now includes AI. When a friend suggested using AI, I had no idea it would be so helpful to my writing. It makes everything seem more human, the opposite of what someone would think.
Sure about that? I’ve known more than a few people who appear to have inherited randomness.
In fact it’s a species wide trait.
It’s tough but he’s had one elite season, ever, and that was in 2019. Spent 4 years either too hurt to pitch or he was a below average major league pitcher. His underlying metrics say he was very lucky in 2024 and bound for regression. He’s a #4 pitcher, not a #2, some teams may give him $20M for 1 year. But that’s cause they’re buying a possible lottery ticket to trade him to improve their farm system. He’s not getting 5/110 on the market.
Also, I wonder how much of this is team’s future proofing. With all of the recent owner comments, it seems they’re going to push hard for a cap in a couple years. This might be tin hat but I wonder if a lot of other clubs are sitting out and basically weaponizing the Dodgers spending to shift public opinion in their favour to push a lockout onto the PA and finally get the cap they’ve wanted. Especially since the comments on this site reflect that it’s working. While that won’t stop a team from investing in a superstar talent. I wonder how many are wary to commit large dollars over 4 years to the middle class free agents if they anticipate a hard cap or other penalties in a couple years.
Great comment…reaching for the sky based on a couple months of luck…
Owners may be greedy, but their not dumb.
They know full well that the Players will never let that happen. Ever. 1 year lock out…5 year lock out. Never.
It’s like suggesting the Players will strike until owners give up all Profits. It’s an exercise of head vs. wall.
Good analogy. It’s simply not happening, and team owners know that.
@jumps He also played in front of a Tigers’ defense that was plus 50 by Rdrs then to a Dodgers defense that was plus 66. In front of an average team on defense, it’s going to be less pretty.
Once yanks finally shed stroman they are signing him
The players dont want a cap but its the lack of cap that is hurting the average player. When you are giving $46M to Ohtani and whatever Soto gets there is significantly less money to go around to the rest of the team for the next 10 years. And the top salaries keep rising.
I’m convinced the Angels are gearing up for Vladdy Jr. but he can’t pitch. Jack F. would fit in that rotation and could be a steal if he pitches to his potential. Orange County would suit this Socal native. But that makes too much sense for Arte to approve such a move.
@nukeg He’s looking for ridiculous money. Look what Rodon did the year before he got 2/44m from the Giants with the opt out. Rodon put up a FIP of 2.65 and a WHIP under 1.000. Flaherty got nowhere near that in 2024 and is acting as if he’s already put up both of Rodon’s pre-Yankee seasons.
2/35m with a player opt-out looks about right, and even feels a little high.
A Detroit return makes a lot of sense. I don’t understand why the Giants, Padres, or Angels are all over Flaherty unless he’s wanting too much money.
It’s too early to say that the new format means more teams are willing to stand pat. But if it is, then it also means fewer teams will out right tank as well. For the most part, the players who are having issues getting signed have issues. Even before the expanded playoffs, middling free agents were finding their markets depressed. The marginal improvement over a younger cost controlled player was not enough to justify their salary demands. Teams have also been shying away from signing players 30 and older to long term deals. Most players start their decline around age 33 and teams are reluctant to pay for those years if they are not getting most of the prime 28-32 years. I think that is part of Bregman’s issue as well, He’ll turn 31 in the spring. So teams see him as a 2 year prime then decline player. Why pay for 2 good years and 4 or more declining years? Flaherty is 29 so he would have a chance for a better long term deal if his heath were not an issue. He didn’t pitch as well for the Dodgers last year as the Tigers but was far from horrible. But the back issue last year caused him to miss a few starts. Started more than 30 games once in his career, So teams do not see him as a durable starter and they are not going to pay a premium for a guy who they think will at best miss a handful of starts every year. So the problem for Jack Flaherty isn’t the playoff format, it is Jack Flaherty. My advice to him is take a short term deal and go out and prove yourself. Then maybe next off season you can get a longer term deal.
@tigerdoc
I agree that its too early to say whether the new playoff format has anything to do with spending. It could simply be that no guarantee of a top pick for tanking has more to do with it. It could be that with payrolls having risen so quickly, teams now have reached their actual max payroll, with TV revenue disappearing. I also think the market imbalance has separated teams into 2 tiers, and what a player can demand from the large market teams will not fly with the mid market teams.
As to his injury history, others like deGrom, Rodon, Snell, even Boyd and Cobb have been signed. It hasn’t hampered them. Flaherty doesn’t even have a QO attached. Don’t know why its taking this long, but he should get at least a 3 year. Add an opt out that cam be overridden with a raise.
Bregman’s already in significant decline, btw, and fwiw his prime was back in 2018-2019 when he was 24 and 25.
28-32 are not a player’s prime years. Those are 26-27, on average.
If prime years were 28-32 we’d see a lot of 31-32 year old position players starting on nearly every roster and performing well, when in the post-PEDs era that’s actually fairly rare.
What is true is that the current format incentivizes aiming for 85 wins. You play meaningful games in August and September, get to play with Deadline deals, and sometimes slide into the postseason. 85 wins every year is a target a lot of mid-market teams can aim for rather than go through the ‘load up, then rebuild’ cycle. It probably evens out revenue streams and avoids the long downturns that can kill an ownership group.
It also tends to sort teams by revenue, unfortunately, where the only teams that can regularly shoot for 90 wins and a fairly certain postseason berth every year are the big market teams, or terms with superb FOs.
It gets tedious, esp for small market teams.
Flaherty is a prima donna. He’s had one good year and expects a payday. I’ll forever be curious what the numbers were for the extension the Cardinal’s offered. Bet he would have made way more taking the extension considering he spent the next 4 yrs on and off the IL and sporting a high era.
Back to the Tigers to slot into their #2 spot like he never left. Book it.
#2 spot…are the Tigers that poor in pitching?
Jobe could be their #2 this year or pitching in AAA. Olson is a #3. Cobb #3-4. Mize, Montero #4-5. Then they have Hurter, Madden, Manning, Maeda. Lots of solid depth but lacking that clear #2 starter behind Skubal.
Montero has real upside, could be a really good rotation as is, but I’d like Flaherty back
Would the Mets offer 1 year at $30? Would Flaherty take it? If so, that would be a good move. Rotation is not good enough.
Flaherty or Montgomery.
Muscle shirts to press conferences can’t be helping, Jack. You need to put some new file photos out there.
If someone asks him whether he gave credit to Roger Beshens for teaching him the football slider in May 2018 he will get very defensive.
Remember when Mize and Manning were untouchable? Now they are depth pieces. A good lesson for everyone.
They got injured. There’s still time for them to bounce back. Manning got shafted with the way he was bounced up and down last year. Then got hurt. I hope he uses that as motivation this year.
would like to see him return to Detroit.
Not for nothing it’s refreshing to hear free agents talk instead of their agents. Lets them express more of what they’d like to do. To me, it ingratiates them more to the fans. Don’t you think more Detroit fans want to him there now?
Sure…fans are eating hamburgers while he’ll eat Filet Mignon every night with his contract demands….sure Tigers fans see that as fair….lol
Baseball player get paid in the millions…this isn’t news?
And your point is?…what Tigers fans love him because he is asking for $$$millions?
MY point has more to do with talking specifically about clubs and players they like…
“You know, I wanted to stay in Detroit,” Flaherty said. “We had conversations, and I loved it there. And I thought the combo of me and Skub was incredible… we’ve been talking to them and talking to other teams… Hey, you know, it would be fun to go back there.”
What exactly is YOUR point? We know baseball players want and get paid in millions, why is that alarming you? That’s like the mootest of points and not even in this conversation.
Wonder if he knows that no one outside of Fried, Burnes and Snell secured anything longer than three years. Financially the SP market was robust this year when even Severino signed for 22 per and Kikuchi 21 per.
These are the types of guys that are victims of the RSN fiasco. They will have to take what leftovers they can get and like it. But certain people don’t want to hear that.
“since the 1973 Mets won the AL East with 82 wins.”
Sneaky Mets jumping leagues. No fair!
Hey, the Brewers and Astros did it!
It was before I was born. I never knew the Mets snuck over and took the AL East.
@Tony Cunningham
Mutts have always played in the AL East. You just don’t remember back in the good ol’ days.
I think we are sitting here a month or two from now and he takes 1/$25M with someone. Hopefully my Braves. Like someone mentioned above… its almost like teams aren’t sold on his 2024.
Flaherty is not a guy I want for 1/25m late in ST.
Sometimes the market will hint at a little collusion, and sometimes it accurately reflects the market value of a particular player. There’s a reason for late signings. Could be multiple teams bidding–or it could be multiple teams not bidding
Brent Rooker is bringing Flaherty to Sacramento
Detroit should bring him back as well as signing Bregman. Open up the revenue wallet a bit, Son of Mike. Tiger fans are stoked about the future and have a real chance of winning the division.
Really interesting free agent. He has two really nice years following 3 injury marred ones.
Almost looks like the Cards broke with with 195 innings in 2019 and he took a while to fully recover.
He will either be a great signing or a complete bust. Hence hesitation to sign him.
I never understood the whole Japanese players picking west coast teams, because of proximity to Japan. Why? They going back and forth to Japan weekly? I think it has more to do with the west coast has great weather, beacges, and larger Japanese communities.
The Mariners could make a power play.
Trade a pitcher, get a bat and sign Flaherty.
But they won’t.
That requires balls and money. The Mariners lack both.
Jack gonna be a Tiger
I like the 1-2 of Skubs and Flaherty too.
Guy can go play overseas. He’s significantly overrated. If you want to play on a team, commit to the team not your bank account.
Jack Flaherty struggled to get more than 9 K’s per 9 during his last 3 minor league seasons which were 2015, 2016, 2017. However in 2018 after learning the Roger Beshens Football Slider he improved to 11.7 K’s per 9. That’s the effect Roger Beshens Football Slider can have on a pitcher.
You can learn the Roger Beshens Football Slider without meeting him face to face; just read his words. On center grip, throw like a football, stiff wrist. A pitcher can choose to react or not react based on what he sees. If he understands the situation he can make a decision. Jack Flahertys choice is clear when you look at the visuals and the numbers.
Roger, if you were gonna get credit for that pitch it would’ve happened by now.
It’s the sweeper. Live with it
Teams don’t want to overpay for mid ass players, Jack.
The Angels should be all over this guy. No QO , will give you quality innings, pair him with Kikuchi stop the rotation and hope Dana becomes a top 3 guy soon.
Halos will finish 4th or 5th in the west with or without Flaherty.
Assuming the Mariners actually do s o m e t h i n g, yeah.
The Dodgers: “Sorry Jack. We’re the greediest bunch of scumbags on the planet and we’ve already bought four other starters we don’t need so we can’t squeeze you onto the $1B All-Star teams but thanks for being the best purchased All-Star we could buy last year now take your tainted ring and get outta here.”
There he is. Mickey Solis, human clown shoe.
Jack speaks in a harsh tone and comes across as very aggressive and seems unsure of himself off the field.
Ask Jack about the Roger Beshens Football slider and how it influenced his performance starting in May 2018.
Jack Flaherty has no reason to act tough since he wouldn’t even be in this position If Roger Beshens hadn’t taught him how to do the Football Slider.
He’s perfect for the Angels.
Too bad the franchise has no direction. They seem content with purgatory.
He’s not young, cheap, or good. Perfect for the Angels