Jack Flaherty’s first stint in an Orioles uniform didn’t go well, as the right-hander struggled to a 6.75 ERA in 34 2/3 innings after Baltimore acquired him from the Cardinals at the 2023 trade deadline. However, it doesn’t appear that any hard feelings exist between Flaherty and the O’s, as The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Katie Woo write that “both sides would be open to a reunion after Flaherty’s bounce-back season.”
Injuries marred Flaherty’s 2020-22 seasons, and his 2023 numbers are okay but unspectacular (4.43 ERA in 109 2/3 innings) even before his production cratered by the trade to Baltimore. He signed a one-year, $14MM deal with the Tigers last offseason with the goal of re-establishing his value for another quick trip into free agency, and that plan paid off in spades. Flaherty posted a 3.17 ERA over 162 innings for the Tigers and Dodgers, and another deadline deal that sent him to Los Angeles saw Flaherty capture a World Series ring with his hometown team.
Flaherty’s 29.9% strikeout rate, 32.1% whiff rate, and 5.9% walk rate were all excellent, while his hard-contact and chase rates were both well above the league average. Batters were able to square up Flaherty when they did make good contract (24 homers allowed, 7.7% barrel rate) and his fastball averaged only 93.3mph, but his modest four-seamer was mostly a setup pitch for Flaherty’s devastating curveball.
This isn’t the first time Flaherty has been linked to the Orioles this winter, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote a few weeks ago that the O’s viewed Flaherty as a potential backup plan if the team was unable to re-sign Corbin Burnes. Now that Burnes has officially signed with the Diamondbacks, it therefore isn’t surprising that Sammon and Woo write that the Orioles “recently inquired about Flaherty,” as well as other starters they might have on their target list.
How many free agents are on that target list isn’t clear, as Flaherty stands out as the top starter available now that Burnes is off the board. Flaherty is perhaps the only pitcher remaining who has clear-cut upside as a No. 1 starter, which is what the Orioles need for a rotation that is solid but lacking in a true ace. Of course, Flaherty’s inconsistent track record prior to 2024 isn’t exactly evidence that the 29-year-old is that kind of frontline pitcher, but it might speak to his talent that the O’s are still interested signing him even in the wake of the 2023 letdown.
Such pitchers as the Padres’ Dylan Cease and the Mariners’ Luis Castillo have been linked to the Orioles on the trade front, but acquiring those hurlers would cost the O’s in both prospects and (in Castillo’s case) some significant money. Signing Flaherty would cost Baltimore “only” money, and perhaps importantly, no draft picks since Flaherty wasn’t eligible for a qualifying offer. Nick Pivetta is the last pitcher remaining who rejected a qualifying offer, and signing Pivetta would cost the Orioles their third-highest pick in the 2025 draft — a concession Baltimore was reportedly wary about giving up for Pivetta or any other qualified pitcher besides Burnes (who wouldn’t have cost the Orioles any extra compensation since he was their own free agent).