The Los Angeles Dodgers seemed to be ready to cut ties with starting pitchers Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty after they signed starting pitcher Blake Snell. Snell joins Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and a few other top starters in the Dodgers' rotation.
Buehler has already signed with the Boston Red Sox and Flaherty seems to be the next to sign elsewhere.
R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports recently predicted Flaherty would leave Los Angeles. Anderson predicts the righty to sign with the Baltimore Orioles. Jon Heyman of the New York Post projects Flaherty to sign an $80 million deal this winter.
"Now that Corbin Burnes has found a home, Flaherty is the best starter left on the market with MLB experience," Anderson wrote. "You could make the case that he should wait until after Sasaki signs, paving the way for the big-market teams that lose out on Sasaki to pivot in his direction. I think a reunion with Baltimore makes a lot of sense on paper as well, in part because Flaherty doesn't require draft-pick compensation."
The Orioles traded for Flaherty in 2023, but the righty ultimately struggled down the stretch that season. After an excellent 2024 season, Baltimore needs to take a risk on the righty if it wants a real shot at competing in 2025.
After Flaherty, there aren't many ace-level options left in free agency. Baltimore needs to be willing to spend north of $100 million to outbid the rest of the league for the righty.
If the Orioles miss on Flaherty, they may need to trade a package of prospects to bring a starter to Baltimore.
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