Projected Tigers rotation after Jack Flaherty returns to Detroit

For much of the offseason, the Detroit Tigers frustratingly stood pat following their shocking run to Game 5 of the ALDS. Their big moves for much of the winter were signing Gleyber Torres and Alex Cobb to one-year deals.

Now, finally, after months of waiting, the Tigers made a splash, inking Jack Flaherty to a two-year deal worth $35 million. It includes an opt-out, which Flaherty will almost certainly exercise, barring a catastrophically down year, but the Tigers ensured that the right-hander who had so much success in Motown in the first half of the 2024 campaign, will be back with the team in 2025.

With Flaherty in the mix, their projected starting rotation looks tough to beat.

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Projected Tigers rotation after Jack Flaherty signing

All of a sudden, with Flaherty in the mix, this Tigers rotation looks really solid. Tarik Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, leads the way. It will be fascinating to see what he can do in terms of an encore.

Flaherty slots in quite nicely behind Skubal in the No. 2 spot in their rotation. Flaherty had an up-and-down finish to his season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but had a 2.95 ERA in 18 starts with the Tigers. He looked like a bonafide All-Star in his time with the Tigers, making his return to Detroit an incredibly exciting one.

With Flaherty taking over the No. 2 spot, guys like Reese Olson, Alex Cobb, and Casey Mize slide down to where they should belong in the rotation. Olson showed some promise this past season, posting a 3.53 ERA in 22 starts, making him a nice fit in the middle of the rotation. Cobb barely pitched this past season, but is an established veteran who has proven to be more than capable in a back-end role. As for Casey Mize, the jury is still very much out on him, but as a No. 5 starter with the likes of Jackson Jobe, Ty Madden, and even Kenta Maeda lurking, is more than fine.

The Flaherty signing is one that a team serious about winning makes, and thanks to Scott Harris' patience, the Tigers got him at a serious discount. Now, hopefully, the Tigers will use some of the funds they saved with the Flaherty deal on a big bat like Alex Bregman. That would cap off a perfect offseason for Detroit.