Jack Flaherty reminds free agency suitors why he’s an inherently risky signing

While most of the early offseason attention has focused on the names at the very top of this winter's starting pitcher crop — Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried — we know from experience that those three are far from the only ones who are about to get paid. There simply isn't enough quality starting pitching to go around, and it seems like every year that scarcity leads to some truly bananas contracts being handed out even to guys who aren't exactly All-Stars.

It seemed like Jack Flaherty was a prime candidate to benefit from that largesse. After several years in the wilderness following a string of injuries, Flaherty finally got healthy and got right at the perfect time to rebuild his value. The righty put up a 2.95 ERA over 18 starts for the Detroit Tigers, then became the lynchpin of the Los Angeles Dodgers staff after a deadline deal sent him to SoCal. After seven shutout innings against the New York Mets in NLCS Game 1, it seemed like the cherry on top of a perfect (and perfectly timed) contract year.

And then Game 5 happened. With a spot in the World Series up for grabs, L.A. gave the ball to Flaherty again ... but this time things didn't go nearly as smoothly, offering a reminder of the risk that a team might incur if it hands the righty the bag this winter.

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Jack Flaherty reminds free agency suitors of his checkered past

The Mets were taking good swings off Flaherty from the jump, with a leadoff single from Francisco Lindor and a walk to Brandon Nimmo followed by a huge three-run homer from fellow pending free agent Pete Alonso.

Flaherty ran into more trouble in the second, allowing a leadoff double to Francisco Alvarez before almost giving up another bomb to Lindor.

Even more concerning than the results was the quality of Flaherty's stuff: The righty's velocity was way down, sitting around 90-91 with his fastball, while he consistently failed to spot the breaking balls that had fueled his return to form this season. It's way too early to speculate about whether the injury bug has bitten Flaherty again, and one clunker doesn't erase a full year of ace production. But it does serve as a reminder: Not too long ago, Flaherty was considered damaged goods, a shell of the guy who once garnered Cy Young consideration with the St. Louis Cardinals. The 2024 version of Flaerthy is the version a team will be paying for, but it might not be the version they get.