Jack Flaherty’s brutal start in Tampa just made his Tigers contract heftier for 2026

Emma Lingan

Detroit Tigers v Tampa Bay Rays / Julio Aguilar/GettyImages

Jack Flaherty had another rough outing for the Detroit Tigers on Friday, getting clobbered for eight runs in just 2 1/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.

And yet, in the process of earning the loss, Flaherty doubled his salary for next season. (Yes, really.)

Friday marked Flaherty’s 15th start of the season, which increased the value of his player option for 2026 from $10 million guaranteed to $20 million. He can still opt out of his contract after this season – which was certainly his plan at the time that he signed it – but turning down a $20 million guarantee may not be in his best interest after the inconsistent season he's had with the Tigers.

Jack Flaherty’s brutal start in Tampa just made his Tigers contract heftier for 2026

Before he ended up signing with Detroit this offseason, Flaherty was reportedly seeking a five-year, nine-figure contract. His market didn't materialize, however, and he agreed to come back to the Tigers on a $25 million contract in 2025 with a player option for 2026. Presumably, Flaherty plans to opt out after the first year and test the market again in free agency, but a couple of rough starts may have put his future plans in doubt.

Flaherty gave up seven runs to the Cincinnati Reds across 4 2/3 innings his last time out before getting tagged for eight runs against Tampa Bay. Prior to his last two starts, however, Flaherty had gone six innings in each of his previous three. He allowed one combined run during that stretch while recording 21 strikeouts.

Flaherty's 15 earned runs over his last two outings have inflated his ERA and WHIP to 4.83 and 1.21, respectively, across 78 1/3 innings. He is projected to make his next start against the Athletics at home next week.

While Flaherty doesn't need to make a decision about his contract option anytime soon, it will be a storyline worth monitoring in the second half of the season. If he isn't able to find some consistency after back-to-back implosions, the $20 million guarantee from Detroit might be worth more than anything he could get on the open market this winter.

And the Tigers might have to live with paying that price even though they likely thought this would only be a one year commitment with the way Flaherty seemed to be progressing.

More Tigers content from Motor City Bengals

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.