The Los Angeles Dodgers are still bathing in champagne, but soon, some of their World Series-winning players might be looking for new housing.
After a title run with hardly any starting pitching to speak of, reinforcements are on the way. Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Tony Gonsolin should all be ready to go by Opening Day, and Clayton Kershaw seems destined to return to L.A. for one more year.
Add all that to the fact that the Dodgers are tied to every big-name free agent on the market (i.e. Roki Sasaki, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, etc.), and it seems unlikely that one hometown kid will be back in Dodger Blue in 2025.
Jack Flaherty, the Harvard-Westlake graduate who came to his hometown team at the trade deadline, was vital in keeping the Dodgers afloat amid all sorts of starting pitching injuries. But it doesn’t seem all that likely that L.A. will make an earnest effort to bring him back.
Recently, Zach Pressnell of Newsweek predicted that Flaherty would instead sign with the Philadelphia Phillies, one of the Dodgers’ primary threats for a second-straight National League pennant.
“Looking at free agency, there are multiple ace-caliber pitchers like Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell. But on the tier below that, you will find Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty,” Pressnell said.
“Flaherty was a key piece to the Dodgers World Series championship in 2024 and Spotrac only projects him to sign a three-year, $60 million contract. Flaherty would be much more affordable than the other top pitchers on the market which could fit what the Phillies are doing perfectly.”
The Phillies have an opening in their rotation thanks to the brutal struggles of Taijuan Walker, and Flaherty may be just what they need to get back on track. The 29-year-old righty tossed 162 innings with a 3.17 ERA last season, racking up 194 strikeouts.
Of course, there’s a simple way for the Dodgers to keep Flaherty away from the Phillies: pay him market value to stay in town. But they may have their sights set on reeling in a bigger fish.
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