The MLB hot stove has cooled off a bit in recent weeks now that most of the top free agents have found their landing spots.
One starting pitcher who is still on the market is Jack Flaherty, who is fresh off a strong run with the Los Angeles Dodgers and has a World Series ring to show for it.
There hasn’t been a ton of noise surrounding Flaherty’s possible destination, but now that some of the elite starting pitchers have signed, four teams are reportedly interested in his services.
“The [San Francisco] Giants, [Toronto] Blue Jays, [Detroit] Tigers and [Chicago] Cubs remain ‘in the mix’ for Flaherty, per Mark Feinsand,” B/R Walk-Off wrote on X.
Corbin Burnes taking longer than expected to sign likely held up the starting pitching market a bit, and after he agreed to a six-year, $210 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Flaherty is likely the top available starting pitcher aside from Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki.
Flaherty was acquired in a midseason trade with the Detroit Tigers and gave the Dodgers 10 starts and a 6-2 record with a 3.58 ERA before serving as their de facto ace in the postseason, where he struggled with a 7.36 ERA in five starts.
Once the Dodgers signed Blake Snell and started seeing their name consistently linked to Sasaki, it became clear that Flaherty didn’t factor into their long-term plans.
The Giants and Blue Jays have been trying to get big free agents to take their money for years, and after both missed out on Burnes, Flaherty would make sense.