Detroit Tigers: 4 reasons why the Jack Flaherty signing is terrible

2. Nothing to suggest he can improve

Not only were his surface numbers bad, but the analytics were mediorce at best. His Baseball Savant page is not encouraging whatsoever.

He walked way too many guys, didn't get any swings and misses, and didn't allow a ton of soft contact. His fastball velocity was down last year as well. The horizonal movement was way down as well. He didn't throw it nearly as much as a result.

He was so bad as a starter for Balitmore last year that they moved him to the bullpen. They moved a pretty good prospect to get him at the trade deadline from St. Louis as well. Something tells me they regret that one.

Chris Fetter and Robin Lund are great, but they can't fix everyone. We have proof of this. Matthew Boyd was still very much Matthew Boyd before having to undergo Tommy John surgery. Fetter is a wizard, but there's only so much he can do.

I'd love to be wrong about Flaherty's ability to get better, but I just don't see it happening.

3. There's much better use of $14 million

There's no question that Chris Ilitch has given Scott Harris a tight budget this offseason. It appears to have loosened up a little bit, but Harris still doesn't have a lot of money to work with.

Knowing that, he opts to use $14 million on a pitcher who's completely cooked. That's a complete waste of money.

He could have put that money toward a better pitcher like Shota Imanaga or Jordan Montgomery. Obviously there was no way they would have signed for one-year deals, but the Tigers have plenty of payroll room for years to come. They can afford a multi-year deal to one of those guys.

But no, Harris spent a huge chunk of his budget on a reclamation project that is likely beyond help. This is just not a smart use of resources. Harris has to be better than this.

4. It contradicts one of his Harris' earlier statements

Harris said earlier this offseason that he doesn't want to sign anybody that could block the Tigers' young prospects. What does this signing do? Block young prospects.

Flaherty is virtually guarenteed to get innings that could go to someone like Sawyer Gipson-Long, who pitched very well in four starts last year. He had a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings pitched. I would much rather have an established arm than SGL in the rotation, but he would certainly be better than Flaherty.

Wilmer Flores and Keider Montero are other young arms that could get innings some time in 2024, at least they could have before the team threw $14 million at a pitcher who is beyond help.

Finally, Jackson Jobe is coming off a phenomenal 2023 season in the minors. If he keeps shoving, he could have very well seen time in Detroit in 2024 before the Flaherty signing. Now, it seems like he'll spend the entire 2024 season in the minors, no matter how well he pitches.

There's no two ways about it. This is a terrible signing. I would love to be wrong about Jack Flaherty, but all signs point to this being a dud.