Cubs Free Agent Target: Jack Flaherty |
When the Cubs elected to decline Kyle Hendricks option for 2025, making him a free agent, it was the end of an era in Chicago. At the same time, the loss of Hendricks opened up a spot in the Cubs rotation that many fans felt could be filled by one of the many young pitching prospects this team has.
While that still could be the case, Jed Hoyer has also gone on record saying this team wants to add at least one starter this offseason, and when you look at the options on the table, the Cubs will have plenty to choose from. Ideally, you would love for this team to go and get an Ace like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, or Roki Sasaki, but given this team's track record, how likely is it that they will make a big move like that? This team simply doesn't like to give out long-term deals, especially to starting pitchers, as it operates in an unusual manner for a large market team. Barring a sudden shift in their process, that won't be changing anytime soon, and that is starting to get infuriating for most fans, who would like this team to be big-time players in free agency. Even if the Cubs were significant players, adding a guy like Burnes or Sasaki isn't something Hoyer would typically do, as the Cubs focus on a specific type of starting pitcher year in and year out. In an era where most teams focus on the hard-throwing velocity type of guys, the Cubs could care less about velocity as their starting rotation consistently ranks near the bottom in average velocity. Instead, they take a much different approach that has worked in their favor in recent seasons, but can it continue? When it comes to adding a starting pitcher, the Cubs value pitchers who not only pounds the zone with strikes but also have very low walk rates, even if the strikeout numbers aren't where you would like to see them. You see that in Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga, both guys throw many strikes and limit the walks. Imanaga does an excellent job of limiting walks as he led the National League in strikeout-to-walk ratio as a rookie. If that is the pattern the Cubs plan to follow again this season, then RHP Jack Flaherty could be one of the guys the Cubs target as a middle-of-the-rotation arm. The former first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, Flaherty was the ace of the Cardinals staff for years before injuries got in the way. Still, at 55-41 for his career and a 3.63 ERA, Flaherty has been a very consistent arm who would fit in nicely in the Cubs rotation. The Cubs are very familiar with what Flaherty brings to the table and how good he can be, as they faced him several times during his time with St. Louis. Across 17 career games against Chicago, Flaherty has posted a 3-4 record with 80 strikeouts, but he has also limited the damage, as his ERA is just 3.47 in those 17 career appearances against the Cubs. Over his career, Flaherty has won double-digit games twice, including an 11-win season in 2019 and a career-best 13 wins this past season while also posting a 3.17 ERA. This season stands out the most, as Flaherty started the year with the Tigers before getting dealt to the Dodgers and playing a big role in their World Series run. Across 10 starts with LA, Flaherty was solid, going 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA. That was a massive uptick ERA-wise compared to what he was doing in Detroit, as he hovered around 2.8 with the Tigers. His ability to limit the walks and pound the strike zone makes him an ideal target for the Cubs, as nearly 68% of his total pitches were strikes this past season. With his (24.0 K-BB% in 24), Flaherty aligns with what Taillon and Imanaga do, giving the Cubs three strike-throwing guys who can beat you differently. Although Flaherty is not a hard thrower, he still brings some solid velocity with him. His 94-95 MPH heater would make him the hardest thrower on the staff. Combine that with a changeup and a very good slider, and he has a strong three-pitch mix that he relies on a lot. The slider is another thing the Cubs love about him, as that is one of those pitches they would like to get into the pitching lab. Regarding a potential deal for Flaherty, some experts feel he would sign a one or two-year contract for a higher AAV than most would give him. However, he would like a four-year deal in the $80-90 million range if he had the choice. Do the Cubs feel he is worth $20 million a season to be a No. 3 in their rotation?
