By Drew VonScio
Contributing Sports Writer
The Baltimore Orioles are among the many teams interested in Corbin Burnes. However, a backup plan has come to life in the event Burnes signs elsewhere for more money.
The backup plan involves a 2024 World Series Champion who spent part of his 2023 season with the Orioles, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Jack Flaherty is coming off of the second-best season in his career. Between the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers, he posted a 3.17 ERA over the course of 162 innings.
The Orioles signed Tomoyuki Sagano on Monday to bolster the rotation. However, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal believes the club wants to add another starter.
"They entered the offseason looking for two starters, " said Rosenthal on the "Foul Territory" podcast. "They wanted two. The first one would be, ideally, a top-of-the-rotation guy, a front-of-the-rotation guy, a (one), (two) or (three). The second one, the way it was explained to me, was more of an upside play, someone maybe off the radar a little bit. Well, that's Sugano. It seems to me that this can only be a prelude to a bigger move."
Flaherty checks all of the boxes as being that "bigger move" and while Dylan Cease is being floated around as another possibility, Flaherty's familiarity with the Orioles allows him to stick out.
Even though Flaherty struggled in his short stint in Baltimore, the team shouldn't be afraid to give him a second chance. He showed in Detroit and Los Angeles this past season that he is developing even more.
Flaherty will be 29 years old in 2025, which sets him up to be an ace-like pitcher for the Orioles for several years while their core is still intact.
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