Detroit Tigers president of baseball Scott Harris recaps 2025 season
Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris opened his news conference with a long statement Oct. 13, 2025, at Comerica Park.
Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty is about to make a decision about his future: Pitch for the Tigers for the third year in a row or return to free agency for the third year in a row.
He is currently undecided.
“I’ll just let everything process,” Flaherty said.
Flaherty needs to accept or decline his $20 million player option by five days after the World Series, which will end in late October or early November.
“I love these guys,” Flaherty said Friday, Oct. 10, after the Tigers’ 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners in Game 5 of the ALDS, when asked if he will return to the Tigers in 2026. “I love everybody in here and the faith they’ve had in me.”
During the 2025 season, Flaherty logged a 4.64 ERA with 59 walks and 188 strikeouts across 161 innings in 31 starts.
Flaherty, a nine-year MLB veteran who turns 30 on Wednesday, signed a two-year, $35 million contract in February 2025 after an underwhelming experience in free agency. He secured $25 million in 2025 with a $10 million player option for 2026. The option increased to $20 million once he reached 15 starts.
That’s why it’s a $20 million decision for 2026.
“I came back here for a reason,” Flaherty said. “I may not have pitched as well as I would’ve hoped during the regular season, but we got ourselves in a good position, got into the playoffs. Didn’t matter how. Faced some big games with these guys, gave everything I had. You love each and every guy in here, and the camaraderie and the fight that they have for each other — it always means something.”
The decision about the player option is complicated.
If Flaherty declines the option, the Tigers could extend him a qualifying offer — projected around $22 million. He would then have 10 days to accept or reject the one-year deal. Should Flaherty turn it down, he would enter free agency — but any team that signs him would owe the Tigers a draft pick as compensation, which could lower his market value.
Declining the $20 million player option and accepting the $22 million qualifying offer to secure an extra $2 million might be the best-case scenario for Flaherty.
If Flaherty stays, the Tigers will project to enter the 2026 season with Flaherty, Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, Casey Mize and Troy Melton as their starting rotation.
“It was a great, unbelievable group of guys,” Flaherty said, reflecting on the 2025 Tigers. “You appreciate every single guy in here and the fight that they have for each other. You just want to give everything you have, and unfortunately, we came up short.”
Flaherty also pitched for the Tigers in 2024.
He signed a one-year, $14 million contract with the Tigers in December 2023. He posted a 2.95 ERA with 19 walks and 133 strikeouts across 106â…” innings in 18 starts, then the Tigers traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Flaherty won the 2024 World Series with the Dodgers.
He has pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals (2017-23), Baltimore Orioles (2023), Dodgers (2024) and Tigers (2024-25). He owns a 3.80 ERA across 190 games (184 starts) in his nine-year MLB career, including a 4.24 ERA from 2022-25.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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