Could Orioles reunite with Jack Flaherty?

Could Orioles reunite with Jack Flaherty?

Free-agent start Corbin Burnes remains the most attractive pitcher–and perhaps the top available–left on the market. The San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays remain the favorite, but there’s still an outside chance that the right-hander re-signs with the Baltimore Orioles, where he spent the 2024 season with a top-5 finish for the AL Cy Young award.

Though if the Orioles strike out on him, one recent report suggests that the Orioles could reunite with another familiar face in free agency.

“According to sources, free-agent righty Jack Flaherty is one fallback option for the Orioles if, as expected, they fail to re-sign Corbin Burnes,” The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal wrote Saturday. “Flaherty, 29, underperformed for the Orioles after they acquired him from the Cardinals at the 2023 deadline. … But in a limited market, few better options were available.”

Flaherty did struggle in the second half of 2023 with Baltimore, pitching to a 6.75 ERA in nine appearances (seven starts) with 42 strikeouts and 12 walks in 34.2 innings. He allowed seven homers with what would’ve been his highest OPS allowed (.889) over his career.

He was worn down after dealing with injuries or was subject to a shortened season in his previous three campaigns. Flaherty bounced back last year, pitching to a 3.17 ERA and 3.47 FIP across 162.0 innings in 28 starts, including helping the Dodgers win their first World Series in a full season since 1988.

Other free agent starters include Sean Manaea, Walker Buehler, Jose Quintana, Nick Pivetta, Patrick Corbin and Charlie Morton, among others. The market isn’t great, making it a pragmatic solution for Baltimore to slot into the middle of its rotation.

He will also be entering his age-29 season and is projected to net a five-year deal worth $115 million, which is around where the pitching market has been after both Max Fried and Nathan Eovaldi inked deals for over $25 million per. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Orioles don’t want to go that steep, but they also may not have many other options if they swing-and-miss on Burnes, a top-of-the-rotation arm that could exceed $250 million.

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