Surprise Jack Flaherty contract decision redefines Tigers' offseason before it starts

Tigers fans had a love-hate relationship with Jack Flaherty throughout the 2025 season. When he was good, he was pretty good, but when he was bad, he was really bad.

Despite his bounce-back season with Detroit in 2024 and his re-signing for 2025 being well-received, he regressed quickly and finished the year with a 4.64 ERA. One week he would give up just a single run in six innings to a contender, the next he would get shelled by the likes of the Rangers or White Sox.

Flaherty's two-year, $35 million contract with a player option for 2026 included a $10 million escalator for the second year, provided Flaherty made 15 starts in the regular season. He reached that benchmark in June, giving him a potential $20 million payday in 2026.

Despite some speculation to the contrary, Flaherty is not opting out of his contract and will return to the Tigers in 2026. Jeff Passan, who himself predicted that Flaherty would explore free agency, was the first on the news.

Jack Flaherty exercises $20 million player option to stay with Tigers in 2026

Flaherty sort of redeemed himself in what might've been his last hurrah as a Tiger, when he pitched two gutsy innings in the Tigers' marathon Game 5 of the ALDS against the Mariners. Despite walking his first two batters and continuously falling behind in counts, he never gave up a hit.

Flaherty's a likable guy who clearly loves the organization, but it's impossible not to mourn the alternate possibilities the Tigers could've had with the $20 million they'll now have to pay him. He's just not the No. 2 starter the Tigers paid him to be, and if he performs in 2026 the same way he did this season, $20 million will be a clear overpay.

Passan's initial argument for Flaherty declining his player option were the strikeouts (188 for a 10.51 K/9), but evidently Flaherty didn't think of them quite as highly as a selling point. It always seemed unlikely to Tigers fans that he would get more than $20 million with another organization.

We still have yet to see how the Tigers will operate as spenders this offseason, but if they are destined to go the more conservative route, Flaherty's opt-in only made their budget that much tighter.

If he can get it together next season, everyone will be happy to see him succeed, but if he doesn't, you can bet that fans will be raging about other players his money could've been spent on.