Jack Flaherty recently signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers. Flaherty, who previously pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles, will provide veteran leadership for Detroit. He revealed his reasoning for joining the Tigers during a recent appearance on MLB Network.

“I could feel how much they wanted me, and how much they felt they could help me improve,” Flaherty said. “That's something that was huge.”

The Tigers have struggled to find success over the past few years. Detroit showed signs of promise in 2023, though. Perhaps they are on the verge of contending for an AL Central title.

Jack Flaherty's potential impact on Tigers

Flaherty is excited to join the Tigers. The 28-year-old should provide a spark in the rotation.

He did not pitch well in 2023 between the Cardinals and Orioles, finishing with a 4.99 ERA. Flaherty's pitched at a star-caliber level in the past, however.

He led the league in WHIP in 2019, and ultimately finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. Flaherty added a 2.75 ERA that season. At just 28, there's a chance Flaherty could find that form once again.

After dealing with injuries in 2022, it was promising to see Flaherty appear in 29 games during the 2023 campaign. He was clearly trying to find his rhythm on the mound but the fact that he mostly stayed healthy is a great sign.

Jack Flaherty might be able to rebound while pitching in Detroit.

The Tigers rotation is set to include Flaherty, Kenta Maeda, Matt Manning, Alex Faedo, and Reese Olson at the moment. But Detroit could try to sign/trade for further starting pitching depth as the offseason continues on. Winning the AL Central, a division that is lacking in overall talent, will be a possibility for the Tigers.

As a result, they might as well remain aggressive in terms of adding more players.