Orioles Free Agent Pitcher Linked To West Coast Team
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Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jack Flaherty did something this season he’s had trouble with the past few seasons — he stayed healthy.
While the Orioles only picked up Flaherty at the trade deadline, his track record the past few seasons was that of a pitcher that couldn’t stay on the mound. He hadn’t logged more than 30 starts since 2019, when he went 11-8 with the St. Louis Cardinals. That was the best season of his career.
Well, now Flaherty is hitting free agency and the 28-year-old is doing it at a time when the pitching market has a few high-end players, but not much depth. He could get a significant deal. But will it be in Baltimore?
Recently, Sports Illustrated ranked the Top 50 free agents in baseball and Flaherty made the list. The rankings also came with a projected landing spot, and if SI is right, Flaherty won’t be heading back to Baltimore in 2024. The publication believes he’ll land out west, specifically with the Los Angeles Angels.
His return to health is just part of the reason SI cites:
For the first time since 2019, Flaherty made it through the season healthy, logging 144⅓ innings over 27 starts and two relief appearances. The results were mixed, as he didn’t pitch well upon being traded to Baltimore at the deadline and ultimately was sent to the bullpen to end the year. Flaherty just turned 28 and will likely draw plenty of interest after proving himself healthy for the first time in years.
Indeed it wasn’t a great finish to the season. With the O’s he went just 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA in nine games, with seven starts. Her certainly didn’t build on his solid first-half in St. Louis, where he went 7-6 with a 4.43 ERA. Combined, he went 8-9 with a 4.99 ERA.
Flaherty might be superfluous from an Orioles standpoint. They have a projected rotation built around young talent like Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez and Tyler Wells. The Orioles may be inclined to chase after a veteran pitcher like Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola.
Nola has a history of durability. Flaherty does not. That could be the biggest reason the O’s let someone else take the chance on him.
